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1/2 Crown - William and Mary 1st busts, 1st shield
| Issuer | England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1689 |
| Type | Standard circulation coin |
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| Reverse description | A crowned quartered shield of arms occupies the center of the field, the royal crown above dividing the date 16-89. The shield displays the first reverse arrangement, with the arms of England and France each occupying single quarters rather than the later impaled configuration. The encircling Latin legend naming the joint monarchs as King and Queen of Great Britain, France, and Ireland runs around the periphery, bounded by a beaded inner circle. |
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| Edge | Lettered (regnal year in Latin) |
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| Additional information |
William III and Mary II were proclaimed joint sovereigns in February 1689 following the Glorious Revolution, and the new coinage had to solve an immediate iconographic problem: how to represent a dual monarchy on a single coin. The solution — facing busts — was without precedent in English coinage and required entirely new portrait dies. The moneyers moved quickly; this half crown was struck within months of the coronation.
The first busts were replaced relatively soon after issue, making the 1689 first-bust pairing the shortest-lived portrait combination of the reign.