2000 Millennium Gold Proof Half-Sovereign Great Britain Millennium coin

The 2000 Gold Proof Half-Sovereign (Millennium Gold Proof Half-Sovereign) is an example of the Gold Half-Sovereign and is a gold coin, being as it suggests, half the value and half of the gold weight of a gold sovereign. Today, the half-sovereign is a commemorative coin, not issued every year and often only collected as part of a set.

The Half-Sovereign was introduced a long time ago, in 1544 during the reign of Henry VII. However it was discontinued in 1604 (along with full sovereigns) and no more was minted until 1817. Production ended again in 1926 (1933 in Australia) and except for a few special issues during the Coronation years, it was 1980 when we saw half-sovereigns again.
As the value is half of one sovereign, that give the half-sovereign a face value of half a pound or ten shillings – 50p in post-decimal money.
The Obverse is the Monarch’s head (Elizabeth II) and the Reverse is the famous St George and the Dragon by Benedetto Pistrucci.
The mintage for the 2000 Gold Proof Half-Sovereign was 7,500, with a further 2,250 minted for sets. The coins is issued in a presentation box complete with Certificate of Authenticity (COA) from the Royal Mint.
Specifications for Gold Half-Sovereign Proof

Weight: 3.99 g
Diameter: 19.30 mm
Thickness: 0.99 mm
Purity: 22 carat = 91.67% (11/12ths gold, 1/12th copper. Adding copper makes the coin more scratch and dent resistant)
Gold Content: 3.6575 g = 0.1176 troy ounce
Face value: £0.50 = 10 shillings (decimal: 50 pence)
Monarch: Elizabeth II
These specifications apply to half-sovereigns from 1817.