1923 South African Half Sovereign
Although half sovereigns and sovereigns ceased to circulate during World War I, the Royal Mint branch in Pretoria, South Africa struck both half sovereigns and sovereigns throughout the 1920s and early 1930s. The sovereign was struck in large numbers but the half sovereign's production was limited.
655 proof sets of the new South African coinage were produced in 1923, including 655 half sovereigns. Curiously, all coins in the set except for the half sovereign were also struck as circulating coins. It is unclear if there were plans for circulation issue 1923 half sovereigns but the deputy mint master noted in the annual report that very few gold deposit were received in 1923 (p60, Marsh, The Gold Half-Sovereign, 2004), perhaps limiting the striking of gold coins to just the proofs and circulating sovereigns.