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

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The decimal Halfpenny measured just 17.14mm, weighed only 1.78g and was only ever minted in bronze. It was the smallest ever UK coin. As a result, it was never very popular and was withdrawn in 1984. The British pre-decimal halfpenny, (pronounced / ˈ h eɪ p ən i/), once abbreviated ob. (from the Latin 'obulus'), [1] was a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1 / 480 of one pound, 1 / 24 of one shilling, or 1 / 2 of one penny. Originally the halfpenny was minted in copper, but after 1860 it was minted in bronze. In the run-up to decimalisation, it ceased to be legal tender from 31 July 1969 (although halfpennies dated 1970 were minted as part of a final pre-decimal commemorative set). [2] The halfpenny featured two different designs on its reverse during its years in circulation. From 1672 until 1936 the image of Britannia appeared on the reverse, and from 1937 onwards the image of the Golden Hind appeared. [3] Like all British coinage, it bore the portrait of the monarch on the obverse. [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 ] a b c Collecting Australian Commonwealth Coins: a Reference to Australia's Pre-Decimal Coinage 1910 to 1964, Including A Guide to Grading Coins. ANDA: Australasian Numismatic Dealers Association. 2006. The Australian pre-decimal halfpenny coin, commonly known as a ha’penny (pronounced / ˈ h eɪ p ə n i/), [1] was the smallest denomination of the Australian Pound in circulation. It was a unit of currency that equalled half of a penny, 1 / 24 of a shilling, or 1 / 480 of a pound. [2] The coin was made to be equivalent to the British halfpenny; its dimensions, composition and values were equivalent, and additionally, the two currencies were fixed at par. [3]

Bruce, Colin R.; Thomas Michael (2005). 2006 Standard Catalog of World Coins (1901-present). KP Books. p.66. ISBN 0-87349-987-5.At the end of the 18th century a shortage of small value coins, such as silver Pennies and Halfpennies, made trade difficult. This shortage was so great that some merchants and mining companies began to produce their own copper Penny and Half-pence ‘token’ coins. 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.

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. a b c d e f g "International Auction Galleries, IAG's Benchmark Collection, in conjunction with Strand Coins" (PDF). by Australasian Numismatic Dealers Association. ANDA. 2015. a b "University College London Dept. of Psychology and Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences". Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Professor Emeritus John Christopher Wells' C.V. (via Internet Archive)And it’s just possible there’s another mule out there – a 1959 penny with a reverse showing two ears of wheat. Find one of those, and your coin will be worth serious money. What is the most valuable 1959 D penny worth? The 1959 penny measures 19 millimeters in diameter and weighs 3.11 grams. It’s made of 95 per cent copper and 5 per cent zinc. In all those respects, it’s identical to the Wheat pennies produced the previous year. Just how much of a difference there is depends on the quality of the coin. Coins are graded from 1 to 70, with 1 signifying the poorest condition while still being identifiable. A coin graded 70 is flawless.

Counting the known mintages of proofs, a total of 422,882,890 (422 million) coins of the denomination were minted during its circulation. [8] Year The new reverse design was the work of Frank Gasparro, who was then the Mint’s Assistant Engraver. And it had considerable longevity: the Lincoln Memorial reverse was included on every cent issued until 2009.Consequently, The Royal Mint began to withdraw copper Pennies in 1861. They were replaced by smaller and lighter weight bronze coins in 1863. These were minted by James Watt & Co plus the Heaton Mint, both of Birmingham. The 1916I Mule carries the standard Australian reverse for halfpennies of 1916, however, it is distinguishable by its obverse, which is that of an Indian quarter anna coin. It is Australia's rarest Commonwealth coin issued for circulation, and when its significance was first recognised in the Australian numismatic press in the mid 1960s, it was described as the "biggest find in coin history, and one of the most valuable." [5] There are currently 5 known specimens in existence, [2] and it is predicted that there are 6–10 examples in existence. [7] Introduced in 1971, the British decimal Halfpenny was the smallest ever UK coin. As a result, it was never popular and was withdrawn in 1984. George VI issue coins feature the inscription GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX F D IND IMP before 1949, and GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX FIDEI DEF thereafter. Unlike the penny, halfpennies were minted throughout the early reign of Elizabeth II, bearing the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA BRITT OMN REGINA F D in 1953, and ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D thereafter.