The 1884 Half Sovereign is a British gold coin, minted by the Royal Mint. The weight of the coin is 3.99 grams with a fineness of 916.7 (22 carat gold), this means it contains 3.6612 grams of pure gold. The diameter of the coin is 19.3 mm. The Half Sovereigns have a face value of 50 Pence (1/2 a Pound) and are legal tender in the UK.
The coin has no mintmark, indicating it was struck by The Royal Mint in London, England.
Obverse: The obverse of the Queen Victoria 1884 Gold 1/2 Sovereign depicts the young head portrait, designed by William Wyon. This effigy of Queen Victoria shows her profile facing left, without a crown. It is the first official portrait of Queen Victoria to be used on coins produced by the Royal Mint.
The inscription on the coin reads 'VICTORI DEI GRATIA'.
Reverse: The reverse of the 1884 Gold Half Sovereign features the design of Jean-Baptiste Merlen's Royal Coat of Arms and the inscription 'BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:'.
Approximately 1,121,600 of these Half Sovereign gold coins were produced, making it a fairly common coin.