In 1811, with his father George III's health declining, George IV, then the Prince of Wales, was made the Prince Regent. Although both the Prince and Parliament hoped that this would be a temporary measure, in 1812 the regency was made permanent when it became clear that George III was not going to recover. In 1820, George IV acceded the throne to become king. This coin dates from 1821, the year of his coronation and the first year that his effigy, by acclaimed engraver Benedetto Pistrucci, appeared on coinage. 

This Half-Sovereign coin is a one-year type only, making it rare and highly collectable. It features a magnificent laureate-head bust of the king on the obverse, and the Ensigns Armorial of the United Kingdom on the reverse. This particular Half-Sovereign was quickly withdrawn, resulting in a low mintage; the reason being that the design was similar to that of the sixpence, which was being gilded and passed off as the higher-value coin. Production on the Half-Sovereign was therefore stopped until a new reverse design could be produced, and would not reappear in circulation until 1823.