1/2 Ryal - Edward IV 1st reign, Light coinage

Edward IV's Light coinage reform of 1464 was a direct response to a bullion crisis that had been quietly strangling English trade for decades. The crown raised the official value of gold, making it profitable again to bring metal to the mint — a policy that succeeded where earlier heavy coinages had failed. The half ryal sits at exactly the midpoint of this reformed weight standard, struck at a moment when the Yorkist regime needed financial credibility as badly as it needed military victories.

Spink 1959 encompasses production across London, Bristol, and Coventry, with mint marks varying accordingly.