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There are a lot of varieties across both the sovereign and half sovereign series. One of the varieties appears on the Jubilee head half sovereign and relates to the number of pearls on the Queen’s necklace. The common variety has thirteen pearls, while the rarer variety has only twelve pearls. The variety appears on the 1889S and 1893M Jubilee head half sovereigns and is difficult to obtain in any grade. We have handled just one example of the 1889S over the years, and have never handled the 1893M.

The common or normal thirteen-pearl half sovereign.

The rarer twelve-pearl half sovereign.