1/2 Crown - William III 1st bust, large shields, early harp

William III's half crowns of 1696 were struck under emergency conditions. The Great Recoinage of that year — driven by a catastrophic clipping crisis that had left perhaps half of England's circulating silver coinage underweight — required the mint to operate far beyond normal capacity, with temporary branch mints opened at Bristol, Chester, Exeter, Norwich, and York. The London issue, identifiable by the absence of a mint mark, was the anchor of this operation.

The 1st bust with large shields and early harp is an early die marriage, superseded within the same year as engravers refined the harp proportions on the Irish shield.