1/2 Penny - James I 2nd coinage, with mintmark

James I's second coinage halfpenny in silver was one of the last gasps of English hammered silver at this denomination. Within years, the practical uselessness of a 0.27g silver piece — easily lost, frequently clipped below even its modest intrinsic value — drove the Crown toward copper coinage for small change, a transition James himself authorized via royal proclamation in 1613, though full copper halfpenny production under royal authority didn't stabilize until the reign of his successor.