1/2 Penny - William III 1st issue

William III's copper halfpence were the first regal copper coins struck for England by the Mint following decades of privately issued tin and copper tokens that had flooded circulation under Charles II and James II. The shift back to Crown-issued copper came partly to suppress the chaotic token trade, though the new halfpence were themselves criticized almost immediately for being too easily counterfeited.

The first issue ran only four years before the dies were revised, making the 1695–1698 run a distinct and relatively short-lived type.