1/2 Guinea - William III late harp

The "late harp" designation distinguishes this issue from the earlier William III half guineas by a revised Irish harp punch introduced partway through his reign — a subtle change that creates two distinct collecting varieties from what appears to be a continuous series. William's coinage was struck under enormous pressure following the Great Recoinage of 1696, which had catastrophically drained gold and silver reserves in the attempt to replace clipped hammered coinage with milled currency. The Mint struggled for years afterward to meet demand.

Spink 3468 covers pieces struck across four final years of William's reign, ending with his death in March 1702 following a riding accident at Hampton Court.