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1/2 Crown - James I 2nd coinage, 5th bust
| Issuer | Royal Mint (Tower Mint) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1613-1619 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Obverse description | Crowned and draped bust of King James I facing right, rendered in the characteristic hammered style of the 5th bust type of his second coinage. The king wears a jewelled crown and elaborate ruff collar, with the mantle visible at the shoulder. A mint mark appears at the top of the field, above the royal effigy. The legend, separated by pellets, reads I · D · G · ROSA · SINE · SPINA, proclaiming James by the Grace of God a rose without a thorn. The whole is contained within an inner beaded circle. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | [mm] · I .` D .` G .` ROSA .` SINE .` SPINA · (Translation: James by the Grace of God a rose without a thorn) |
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| Additional information |
James I's second coinage introduced a revised weight standard for gold that aligned English currency more closely with continental practice — a deliberate policy shift, not an incremental adjustment. The halfcrown occupied an awkward commercial position throughout this reign, too small for major transactions and too valuable for daily use, which kept circulation light and survivors correspondingly sharp.
The fifth bust variety is distinguished in Spink primarily by subtle differences in the king's portrait treatment across die iterations. Pieces attributable to this specific bust type turn up infrequently enough that clean attribution sometimes requires comparison against reference casts.