MLS 1959 Halfpenny Collectable British Coin - Uncirculated / Predecimal / UK Souvenir from London England Great Britain

Product Information

With Lincoln pennies, the color of the coin is also important to its value. Unless there’s an interesting error, most brown and red and brown pennies will be worth only their face value.

Early Pennies were pure silver, exchangeable for and worth their weight in the precious metal. The Halfpence coins were, likewise, half the weight and also equal in value to their weight in the precious metal content. Why does the word Halfpennyworth only have One Syllable?: It doesn't. Historically it was pronounced with Two". Gareth Roberts, Linguistics Professor, PhD, U. of Edinburgh (2010) . Retrieved 15 May 2017. The obverse of the coin featured the current reigning monarch of Australia (excluding 1936 when Edward VIII was King). Three monarchs were featured; King George V, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II. All halfpennies produced with George VI and Elizabeth II had the Kangaroo Reverse. [5]

Various Halfpenny coins were minted in unsuccessful attempts to resolve this shortage. These included the minting of some tin Halfpenny coins. The tin coins also had the advantage of supporting the flagging Cornish tin mines. However, they corroded too easily and were soon withdrawn.

But if you have a red coin in mint condition – one that has never been used in everyday transactions – the value can be much higher. The coin was first introduced in 1911, and minting ceased in 1965 with the introduction of the decimal system. When decimalisation occurred on 14 February 1966, the coin value was made equivalent to 5 / 12 of a cent (= 0.41666 c). [4] Australian Halfpennies were minted at different locational, nationally and internationally over the years from 1911 to 1964. Within Australia, halfpennies were minted in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. Internationally, they were minted in India ( Calcutta and Bombay), and England ( London and Birmingham), each signified by different mint marks. [6] History [ edit ] King George V (1911–1936) [ edit ]

Reverse

Proofs come in three different qualities. Because they were never intended for circulation, all proof coins are red. But if there is an attractive contrast between reflective “fields” – the flat parts of the coin – and frosted raised parts of the design, the coin is classified as a “cameo”.

The 1959 pennies were the first to bear the image of Washington DC’s Lincoln Memorial on the reverse. The old pre-decimal Penny, was two-hundred-and-fortieth of a pound, and was symbolised with a letter 'd'. This is derived from the Roman denarius coin. An old halfpenny, 1/2d, was therefore, 1/480th of a pound sterling. After 1971, the decimal halfpenny was two-hundredth of a pound, it is symbolised with 'p', as '1/2p'. The Treasury provided the finder with a letter stating that, in its opinion, the coin was the real deal. But it turned out that it had been examined by a currency expert, rather than a coin expert. Because the coins are made mostly of copper, their colors vary. When brand new, copper has a rich red tone. But as it’s handled and exposed to the air, the red dulls to brown. In literal use usually written out in full [8] [9] [10] although still never pronounced phonetically: [11] [12] [13] e.g. "A halfpennyworth of chips." [14] In figurative use usually said disparagingly: e.g. "I've been dying for somebody with a ha’porth of wit and intelligence to talk to." [15] "…and saying it doesn't make a halfpennyworth of difference!" [16] [17] (from Alan Bennett's A lady of Letters, written and produced in 1987, some sixteen years after decimalisation and three years after the New Halfpenny—(i.e. the decimal 1 / 2p)—had been demonetised and withdrawn from circulation, thus further illustrating the continued traditional or idiomatic two-syllable pronunciation). Also used in the once common phrase: "daft ha’porth." [8] [9] [10] [18] See also [ edit ]Bronze Pennies weighed just under 10g and measuring slightly under 31mm. The Halfpenny coins weighed 5.67g and measured 25.48mm. Until 1937 the Halfpenny design followed that of the Penny. After this date, on the reverse of half Penny coins, Britannia was replaced with an image of Sir Francis Drake's ship the Golden Hind. The familiar motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” is inscribed above Lincoln’s portrait. Further down and to the left is the word “LIBERTY”. The date is a little lower down on the right-hand side.

George V became King of the United Kingdom in 1910 after the death of King Edward VII. Subsequently, coins minted for Australia by the Royal Mint, London, dated 1911, were altered on the obverse only. Bronze halfpennies (and pennies) were issued for the first time this year. [6] Even that, though led to controversy. Some felt that the initials were too prominent and amounted to advertising the artist’s work. Despite Brenner’s protests, his initials were removed. Coins issued during the reign of Edward VII feature his likeness and bear the inscription EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA BRITT OMN REX FID DEF IND IMP. Similarly, those issued during the reign of George V feature his likeness and bear the inscription GEORGIVS V DEI GRA BRITT OMN REX FID DEF IND IMP.

Issue

Before Decimal Day in 1971, sterling used the Carolingian monetary system, under which the largest unit was a pound divided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence. Each penny was further divided into 4 farthings, thus a pound contained 480 halfpennies and a shilling contained 24 halfpennies. University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections 'Research Guidance' Weights and Measures § Money" . Retrieved 12 March 2014. This happened to more than one die, resulting in a number of different double die obverse varieties. The most valuable of these is the one coded FS-101. This has doubling on the word “LIBERTY” and the date. In 1939, the first halfpenny coins continued to be produced with the long-standing "•COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA•" which had held since their first introduction 1911. However, later that year the reverse changed to a scaled-down and horizontally inverted version of the penny Kangaroo reverse, which was introduced the previous year in 1938. Furthermore, there were two observably distinct reverse Kangaroo dies on the (then) new 1939 halfpennies—one from the original London die master and the second from the Melbourne Mint. [1] [5] Proof Coin - Halfpenny, Australia, 1923". Museums Victoria Collections . Retrieved 20 November 2020.