2 1/2 Shillings - George V 2 1/2 Shillings 2 1/2

South Africa's post-Union coinage was struck at the Pretoria Mint from its opening in 1923, ending the colony's dependence on Royal Mint branches in London and Bombay for its silver circulation coinage. The half crown was among the first denominations produced there, giving the new facility an immediate test of high-silver-content striking at scale. The .800 fineness was a deliberate step down from the sterling .925 used on earlier South African issues — a concession to metal economics that Britain itself would not formally make until 1920.