NationMaster - Encyclopedia: British Half Penny coin

The British decimal half penny (½p) – (pronounced as HAYP-nee, IPA: [ˈheɪpni] or [ˈheɪpəni]) and also written halfpenny or ha'penny – was first issued on 15 February 1971, the day the British currency was decimalised. In practice it had been available from banks in bags for some weeks previously. Pence sterling is a subdivision of Pound sterling, the currency for the United Kingdom. ... Pence sterling is a subdivision of Pound sterling, the currency for the United Kingdom. ... BIC pen cap, about 1 gram. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter), symbol mm is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Elizabeth II in an official portrait as Queen of Canada (on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, wearing the Sovereigns badges of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) (born 21 April 1926), styled HM The... Arnold Machin (30 September 1911 _ 9 March 1999) was a British artist, sculptor, coin and stamp designer. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Crown names several entities associated with monarchy: A crown (headgear), the headgear worn by a monarch, other high dignitaries, divinities etcetera. ... Christopher Ironside designed various coins for the Royal Mint. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ... Not to be confused with the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the â€œInternational Phonetic Alphabetâ€. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... February 15 is the 46th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday. ...

The decimal half penny, worth 1.2 pre-decimal pence, enabled the prices of some low-value items to be more accurately translated to the new decimal currency. It also allowed the pre-decimal sixpence to remain in circulation (with a value of 2½ new pence) alongside the new decimal coinage. In the same vein, 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 1.25 new pence), but ended up never being produced. It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with sixpence. ... General Name, Symbol, Number aluminium, Al, 13 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 13, 3, p Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 26. ... The threepence, pronounced thruppence, was a denomination of currency, used by various jurisdictions in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, until decimalisation of the pound sterling and Irish pound. ...

The half penny coin was minted in bronze. It was the smallest decimal coin by both size and value, weighing 1.78 grams and measuring 17.14 millimetres in diameter. It was nicknamed the "tiddler" on account of its size, and soon became Britain's least loved coin. The Treasury had continued to argue that the half penny was important in the fight against inflation (preventing prices from being rounded up),^[1] but by the early 1980s it was practically worthless and its main utility was as a useful driver of small screws. The 1984 half penny was issued only in mint and proof sets by the Royal Mint, and the coin was demonetised and withdrawn from circulation in December 1984. The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. ...

The reverse of the coin, designed by Christopher Ironside, was simply a crown, with the fraction "1/2" below the crown, and either NEW PENNY (1971–1981) or HALF PENNY (1982–1984) above the crown. Christopher Ironside designed various coins for the Royal Mint. ...

During the existence of the coin, only one obverse was used – the head of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin, with the inscription ELIZABETH II D.G.REG.F.D. year. Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Arnold Machin (30 September 1911 _ 9 March 1999) was a British artist, sculptor, coin and stamp designer. ...

References

External links

Categories: Coins of the United Kingdom | 1971 introductions This article concerns British coinage, the coinage of the United Kingdom. ... For the pre-decimal British one penny coin, see British One Penny coin (pre-decimal). ... 1971 coin featuring portrait by Arnold Machin 1997 coin featuring portrait by Raphael Maklouf 2000 coin featuring portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley The British decimal Two Pence (2p) coin was issued by the Royal Mint on 15 February 1971, the day the British currency was decimalised. ... The British decimal Five Pence (5p) coin was issued in 1968 in preparation for the forthcoming decimalisation of the coinage. ... The British decimal Ten Pence (10p) coin was issued in 1968 in preparation for the forthcoming decimalisation of the coinage. ... The British decimal Twenty Pence (20p) coin was issued in June 1982 to fill in the obvious gap between the Ten Pence and Fifty Pence coins; it rapidly gained acceptance and very large numbers now circulate [1]. The coin is minted from an alloy of 84% copper and 16% nickel... Fifty pence coin (regular issue, reverse) The British decimal fifty pence (50p) coin â€“ often pronounced fifty pee â€“ was issued on October 14, 1969 in the run-up to decimalisation to replace the ten shilling note. ... This article discusses the British One Pound circulating coin issued since 1983, only. ... This article discusses the the commemorative British Two Pounds coins issued issued between 1986 and 1996, and the regular bimetallic circulation coins first issued in 1998 (dated 1997). ... The commemorative British decimal Twenty-Five Pence (25p) coin was issued in four designs between 1972 and 1981. ... The commemorative Five Pounds (Â£5) coin is minted in cupro-nickel, an alloy of approximately 75% copper, and 25% nickel, although special versions are also minted in silver and/or gold. ... Wren design Farthing from 1948 A farthing (meaning fourth part) was a British coin worth one quarter of a penny. ... British halfpenny, 1957 It was long considered that the first halfpenny coins were produced in the reign of King Edward I (1272â€“1307), with earlier requirements for small change being provided by cut coinage; that is, pennies cut into halves or quarters, usually along the cross which formed a prominent... For silver pennies produced after 1820 see Maundy money. ... 1953 threepence The threepence, pronounced thruppence, was a denomination of currency, used by various jurisdictions in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, until decimalisation of the pound sterling and Irish pound. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with sixpence. ... Before decimalisation in 1971, a shilling had a value of 12d (old pence), and was equal to 1/20th of a pound: there were 240 (old) pence to the pound. ... The nineteenth and twentieth century Florin or Two Shillings coin should not be confused with the medieval gold Florin, which was worth six shillings. ... Half-Crown coin of Oliver Cromwell, 1658 The half-crown was a denomination of British money worth two shillings and sixpence, being one-eighth of a pound. ... Crown reverse, 1953 and 1960. ... 1915 half sovereign: reverse The half sovereign was first introduced in 1544 under Henry VIII. It was a gold coin valued at ten shillings. ... Three Gold Sovereigns with a Krugerrand A Gold Sovereign is a gold coin first issued in 1489 for Henry VII of England and still in production as of 2006 [1]. The coin generally has a value of one pound sterling. ...

References GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

External links

References