"as the halfpenny had been withdrawn in 1969. With decimalisation the new penny carried a value of 1/100 of a pound. Total struck by date and mint mark appearing on coin. H is for Heaton Mint; KN for King's Norton. History of the British penny (1901–1970) The British penny ( of a pound sterling), a large, pre-decimal coin continuing the series of pennies that began about the year 700, was struck intermittently during the 20th century until its withdrawal after 1970. Throughout the period 1901 to 1970, the obverse (""heads"" side) of the bronze coin depicted the monarch who was"
"Halfpenny (British decimal coin) The British decimal halfpenny (p) coin was introduced in February 1971, at the time of decimalisation, and was worth one two-hundredth of a pound sterling. It was ignored in banking transactions, which were carried out in units of 1p. The decimal halfpenny had the same value as 1.2 pre-decimal pence, and was introduced to enable the prices of some low-value items to be more accurately translated to the new decimal currency. The possibility of setting prices including an odd half penny also made it more practical to retain the pre-decimal sixpence in circulation (with a value"
"Halfpenny (Irish decimal coin) The decimal halfpenny (p) () coin was the smallest denomination of the Irish pound. It was first issued when the Irish currency was decimalised on Decimal Day, 15 February 1971. It was one of three new designs introduced all in bronze and featuring ornamental birds on the reverse. The coin value was weakened by inflation and very few were produced beyond the initial run for 1971. It was removed from circulation and demonetised on 1 January 1987. The main reason that halfpennies were issued was that when shillings were decimalised they were worth five new pence,"
"1960, when they ceased to be legal tender in the UK, and until 31 July 1969 there were also halfpennies (""ha'pennies"") in circulation. The advantage of such a system was its use in mental arithmetic, as it afforded many factors and hence fractions of a pound such as tenths, eighths, sixths and even sevenths and ninths if the guinea (worth 21 shillings) was used. When dealing with items in dozens, multiplication and division are straightforward; for example, if a dozen eggs cost four shillings, then each egg was priced at fourpence. As countries of the British Empire became independent, some"
"Proof mintages are indicated in ""italics"". Half crown (British coin) The half crown was a denomination of British money, equivalent to two shillings and sixpence, or one-eighth of a pound. The half crown was first issued in 1549, in the reign of Edward VI. No half crowns were issued in the reign of Mary, but from the reign of Elizabeth I half crowns were issued in every reign except Edward VIII, until the coins were discontinued in 1967. The half crown was demonetised (ahead of other pre-decimal coins) on 1 January 1970, the year before the United Kingdom adopted decimal"
"portrait the Queen wears the 'Girls of Great Britain and Ireland' Tiara. Annual number of coins released into general circulation (excludes proof sets) A decimal quarter-penny coin (to be struck in aluminium) was also proposed (which would have allowed the pre-decimal threepence to continue to circulate with a value of new pence), but was never produced. Halfpenny (British decimal coin) The British decimal halfpenny (p) coin was introduced in February 1971, at the time of decimalisation, and was worth one two-hundredth of a pound sterling. It was ignored in banking transactions, which were carried out in units of 1p. The"
"Finally, there was an issue of proof quality coins dated 1970 for collectors, to bid farewell to a denomination which had served the country well for 1200 years. The longstanding depiction of Britannia on the penny was translated by sculptor Christopher Ironside to the post-decimal fifty-pence coin. The Decimal Currency Board had anticipated the need for a transition of up to 18 months after Decimal Day, 15 February 1971, but the ""old penny"" quickly vanished from circulation, and it was made no longer legal tender after 31 August 1971. It had been the last survivor of the three bronze coins,"
"Half crown (British coin) The half crown was a denomination of British money, equivalent to two shillings and sixpence, or one-eighth of a pound. The half crown was first issued in 1549, in the reign of Edward VI. No half crowns were issued in the reign of Mary, but from the reign of Elizabeth I half crowns were issued in every reign except Edward VIII, until the coins were discontinued in 1967. The half crown was demonetised (ahead of other pre-decimal coins) on 1 January 1970, the year before the United Kingdom adopted decimal currency on Decimal Day. During the"
"was not of so minuscule a value as (middle-class) writers of the day (1844) might imagine. The entire denomination was demonetised from 1 January 1870. Half farthing The British half farthing (d) coin, usually simply known as a half farthing, was a unit of currency equaling of a pound sterling, or one eighth of a penny. It was minted in copper for use in Ceylon, but in 1842 they were declared legal tender in the United Kingdom. Two different obverses were used. Like all British coinage, it bore the portrait of the monarch on the obverse. Before Decimal Day in"
"measured in diameter and weighed ; this did not change with the cupro-nickel coin. The coin was minted at the Royal Mint starting from 1928, and ceased to be legal tender after decimalisation on 31 December 1971. Ireland did not adopt the brass dodecagonal threepenny coin that the United Kingdom used between 1937 and 1971. The reverse design featuring an Irish hare was by the English artist Percy Metcalfe. The obverse featured the Irish harp. From 1928 to 1937 the date was split either side of the harp with the name circling around. From 1938 to 1969 the inscription changed"
"of new pence) alongside the new decimal coinage. The halfpenny coin's obverse featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II; the reverse featured an image of St Edward's Crown. It was minted in bronze (like the 1p and 2p coins). It was the smallest decimal coin in both size and value. The size was in proportion to the 1p and 2p coins. It soon became Britain's least favourite coin. The Treasury had continued to argue that the halfpenny was important in the fight against inflation (preventing prices from being rounded up). The coin was demonetised and withdrawn from circulation in December"
"made legal tender in the United Kingdom from 13 June 1842. There was much cynicism of the need for such a coin in Britain, with letters written to ""The Times"", but the coin did indeed circulate widely in Britain and Ceylon. The purchasing value of a penny in 1844, at 2013 purchasing power, is (at its lowest) 35p (GB pound sterling). A half-farthing, therefore (one eighth of a penny) would have had a value today (2013) of 4.375p (GB Sterling pence). Yet, as of 2014, the UK still has widely circulating coins of just 1p and 2p. The half-farthing therefore"
"since 2/6 or half a crown was the standard cost for breakfast pre-decimalisation. Even today, and for all time, bank notes that are no longer legal tender, including those that were issued pre-decimalisation, are exchangeable for their face value (regardless of the possible greater worth if sold or auctioned) if they are taken directly (or posted) to the Bank of England building in Threadneedle Street, London. The last £sd coins to cease being legal tender in the UK after decimal day were the Sixpence (withdrawn 1980), the Shilling (withdrawn 1991) and the Florin (withdrawn 1993). In Australia, as of 2018,"
"tender after 31 December 1960. History of the British farthing The British farthing (derived from the Anglo-Saxon ""feorthing"", a ""fourthling"" or ""fourth part"") was a British coin worth a quarter of an old penny ( of a pound sterling). It ceased to be struck after 1956 and was demonetised from 1 January 1961. The British farthing is a continuation of the English farthing, struck by English monarchs prior to the Act of Union 1707, which unified the crowns of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain. Only pattern farthings were struck under Queen Anne as there was a"
"1967, and in 1970 (in proof sets only). Following decimalisation, the brass threepence ceased to be legal tender after 31 August 1971. A three pence coin was also used in the pre-decimalisation currencies of Commonwealth of Nations countries such as Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand. It was called a tickey in South Africa and Southern Rhodesia. No. 1 Croydon was known for many years as the ""threepenny bit building"" for its resemblance to a stack of threepenny coins. After the coins were phased out (beginning in 1970) the building eventually gained a new nickname: the ""50p building”. In March 2014,"
"the run-up to decimalisation, the halfpenny and half-crown were demonetised in 1969. British coinage timeline: At present, the oldest circulating coins in the UK are the 1p and 2p copper coins introduced in 1971. No other coins from before 1982 are in circulation. Prior to the demonetisation of the larger 10p in 1993, the oldest circulating coins had usually dated from 1947: although older coins (shilling; florin, sixpence to 1980) were still legal tender, inflation meant that their silver content was worth more than their face value, which meant that they tended to be removed from circulation. Before decimalisation in"
"than the modern version and the diameter also measured slightly less. The 1-pound coin ceased to be legal tender on 15 October 2017 to coincide with the withdrawal of the circular £1 coin in the UK. The UK's new twelve-sided £1 coin will be the only £1 coin that is legal tender on the island. The first decimal issues continued with the same obverse as the last pre-decimal issues until 1985, when Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II was added. Ian Rank-Broadley's portrait of the Queen has appeared since 1998. Designs on the reverses of Guernsey's decimal coins are:"
"Half farthing The British half farthing (d) coin, usually simply known as a half farthing, was a unit of currency equaling of a pound sterling, or one eighth of a penny. It was minted in copper for use in Ceylon, but in 1842 they were declared legal tender in the United Kingdom. Two different obverses were used. Like all British coinage, it bore the portrait of the monarch on the obverse. Before Decimal Day in 1971 there were two hundred and forty pence in one pound sterling. There were four farthings in a penny. Twelve pence made a shilling, and"
"History of the British farthing The British farthing (derived from the Anglo-Saxon ""feorthing"", a ""fourthling"" or ""fourth part"") was a British coin worth a quarter of an old penny ( of a pound sterling). It ceased to be struck after 1956 and was demonetised from 1 January 1961. The British farthing is a continuation of the English farthing, struck by English monarchs prior to the Act of Union 1707, which unified the crowns of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain. Only pattern farthings were struck under Queen Anne as there was a glut of farthings from previous"
"particularly rare, and valuable to coin collectors - the vast majority of the 2.8 million were melted in 1987. The 1986 coin was only produced for the 1986 specimen sets and is also rare. Halfpenny (Irish decimal coin) The decimal halfpenny (p) () coin was the smallest denomination of the Irish pound. It was first issued when the Irish currency was decimalised on Decimal Day, 15 February 1971. It was one of three new designs introduced all in bronze and featuring ornamental birds on the reverse. The coin value was weakened by inflation and very few were produced beyond the"
"Gaelic word for a penny sterling, and ""bonn-a-sia"" which literally means ‘coin of six’ became the word for a halfpenny. Following decimalisation in 1971, ""sgillinn"" became and remains the Scottish Gaelic word for a new penny. As a result of the recoinage, foreign coins, which were frequently used alongside the local currency, stopped being legal tender on 6 October 1707. Pre-Union 40, 20 and 10 shilling coins ceased to be legal tender on 10 February 1708, but were temporarily put back into circulation before finally ceasing as legal tender on June 1, along with coins of ½, 1, 2, and"
"had dropped, as had commercial demand. Letters to ""The Times"" reflected this reality: one correspondent reported being refused when offering eight farthings to a bus conductor for a twopenny fare, and a vendor becoming abusive when offered six farthings for a newspaper. This occurred even though, as a later letter noted, the coin was still legal tender to a shilling. Demand continued to dwindle, and production of the farthing was discontinued after 1956. Eliminating the farthing from commerce also made way for a possible smaller penny and halfpenny that Royal Mint officials contemplated proposing.. The farthing ceased to be legal"
"exact decimal equivalent values continued in use after 1971 alongside the new coins, albeit with new names (the shilling became equivalent to the 5p coin, with the florin equating to 10p), and the others were withdrawn almost immediately. The use of florins and shillings as legal tender in this way ended in 1991 and 1993 when the 5p and 10p coins were replaced with smaller versions. Indeed, while pre-decimalisation shillings were used as 5p coins, for a while after decimalisation many people continued to call the new 5p coin a shilling, since it remained of a pound, but was now"
"reign except 1837, 1840, 1842, 1849 and 1850. Halfpennies weighing 5.67 grams (one fifth of an ounce) and of 1 inch (25.4 millimetres) diameter (which was to remain the standard size of the coin for the remainder of its existence) were minted in all years of King Edward VII's reign (1901–1910) except 1901. They are similar to the last issues of Queen Victoria except for the king's right-facing bust on the obverse, with the inscription , and also are extremely reminiscent of the contemporary penny. The reign of King George V produced halfpennies to an unchanged design every year between"
"Penny (Irish pre-decimal coin) The penny (1d) () coin was the third smallest denomination of the pre-decimal Irish pound, worth of a pound or of a shilling. To express an amount, penny was abbreviated to ""d"", e.g. 1d, from the Roman ""denarius"". It was introduced in 1928 to replace its British counterpart, used when all of Ireland was a constituent country of the United Kingdom. The last year of minting was 1968 and it ceased to be legal tender on 31 December 1971. The coin measured in diameter and weighed 9.45 grams. The bronze coin was made up of 95.5%"
"producing them. The new coins were legal tender up to a total value of six pence, and depicted Britannia (modelled by the Duchess of Richmond) on the reverse. It was soon discovered that the Mint was incapable of producing the copper blanks needed for the new coins, and these eventually were imported from Sweden; to facilitate the process, the Customs Duty on the import of the metal was waived. Further delays ensued, caused not least by transportation problems, and the first halfpennies did not appear in circulation until after Christmas (the year did not end until 24 March in those"
"Some groats continued to circulate in Scotland until the 20th century. At times in the past, silver twopenny coins have been called ""half-groats"". The groat ceased to be minted in the United Kingdom in 1856, but in 1888 a special request was made for a colonial variety to be minted for use in British Guiana and the British West Indies. The groat remained in circulation in British Guiana right up until that territory adopted the decimal system in 1955. In the 1600s and 1700s, chaplains were employed in English Navy ships of war by the captain, and paid out of"
"effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and the image of a sailing ship similar to that previously used on the reverse of the pre-decimal halfpenny piece. The inscription on the reverse read with an edge inscription based on the one pound coin which read , meaning ""An ornament and a safeguard – [in the] 46th year of [her] reign"". The 1994 pieces were never legal tender but were eventually released for sale as part of a presentation set in 1998. At the same time in 1994 the Royal Mint produced a mono-metallic trial two-pound coin, with the same"
"current by a proclamation of 25 November 1952, effective 1 January 1953. No pennies were struck for circulation in 1953, the only extant denomination between the farthing and half crown not to see a circulation issue. This was because of the large number of pennies in circulation. Specimen sets, including the penny, were issued for the Queen's Coronation that year, with the obverse of each coin inscribed around the right-facing bust of the Queen by Mary Gillick. These were not issued for circulation, but as the specimen sets were sold for only a slight advance on face value, many were"
"current reverse, featuring a segment of the Royal Shield, was introduced in 2008. Five pence and ten pence coins are legal tender only up to the sum of £5; this means it is permissible to refuse payment of sums greater than this amount in 5p and 10p coins to settle a debt. The five pence coin was originally minted from cupronickel (75% Cu, 25% Ni), but since 2011 it has been minted in nickel-plated steel due to the increasing price of metal. From January 2013, the Royal Mint began a programme to gradually remove the previous cupro-nickel coins from circulation"
"showed the left-facing head of King George and the inscription on the obverse, and Britannia with the inscription and the date in the exergue beneath Britannia. In the reign of King George III (1760–1820) the first issue of halfpennies did not come until 10 years after the king's accession, in 1770. Counterfeiting was rampant, and in 1771 the issuance of counterfeit copper coin became a serious crime; this however had little effect and for the next twenty years or so the majority of copper so-called coins in circulation were forgeries. In March 1782 a female counterfeiter was hanged, then fixed"
"and 10p coin equivalents, co-existed in circulation as valid currency until the early 1990s. In theory this included coins dating back to 1816; in practice the oldest were dated 1947, when these coins stopped containing silver. The coins were withdrawn when smaller 5p and 10p coins were introduced in 1990 and 1992 respectively. The face value of Maundy money coins was maintained, increasing all their face values by a factor of 2.4, as the coins continued to be legal tender as new pence. The numismatic value of each coin, though, greatly exceeds face value. The decimal halfpenny (p), introduced in"
"St Patrick halfpenny The St Patrick halfpenny was a milled coin minted in the 17th century in :England, :Ireland and :Wales. The reverse design shows King David kneeling playing a harp while gazing up at the royal crown of England. One peculiarity of the harp is that it bears a semi-nude winged female figure on the pillar, a feature which became common on English coins beginning in the second quarter of the 17th century. The legend on the obverse reads ""FLOREAT REX"" (""May the King Flourish""). The obverse of the smaller copper halfpenny shows Saint Patrick dressed in bishop's garments"