In 1937 the reverse design changed from Britannia to be replaced by Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind. These featured the conjoined images of William and Mary on the obverse, and an image of Britannia seated on the reverse. 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 ]

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.And when the coin was submitted to independent grading agencies, they refused to rule it was authentic. In 2002, with the coin about to be offered for sale at auction, a convicted forger called Mark Hofmann wrote a letter to his daughter claiming he’d faked it. 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. University of Pennsylvania, Department of Linguistics: Assistant Professor Gareth Roberts" . Retrieved 11 June 2019. 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.

Values tend to be slightly lower than Philadelphia pennies at equivalent grades. Pennies need to be red to be worth more than their face value. And unless they feature an interesting error, they will usually need to be graded at least MS63. Pennies and Halfpence coins continued to be minted for general circulation until 1967. Final proof sets were minted in 1970 before decimalisation in 1971 marked the end of the old Penny. 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. The historical context of how the Indian Quarter Anna obverse came onto 1916 Halfpenny, is that during World War I the Royal Mint of London assigned the production of a range of Australian coins to the Calcutta Mint, with the reason for this change being that there were allay concerns that the German Navy could have the ability to intercept or sink maritime deliveries of coinage from Britain to Australia. [5] This would not have only had the consequence of expense, but would have also been morale-shattering in a time of great need. The 1916 Australian halfpenny and penny were the first non-Indian coins to be produced by the Royal Mint's Calcutta branch. [5]

Value Range

a b Rees, Peter (2017). Inside the Vault: the History and Art of Australian Coinage. Sydney: NewSouth Publishing.

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 reverse during this time consisted of the words "ONE HALF PENNY" in three lines at the centre, surrounded by a beaded circle. A small scroll is located under the word "PENNY" within the beaded circle, and the legend "COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA" with the issued date surrounding the circle of beads. [7] Depending on the place of mintage, certain coins could also contain a small mintmark located under the scroll. 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. 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]

It was withdrawn from sale but offered at auction again eight years later. By then, no evidence had been found to support Hofmann’s claim. Even so, the coin was sold with a disclaimer noting there was no guarantee it was genuine. Pennies have been part of history in Great Britain since Anglo-Saxon times. It is thought the first Halfpenny coins were minted for Henry I, who reigned from 1100 – 1135. These are extremely rare and could possibly have been only test coins, which may not have entered circulation. As the name would suggest the value was half of a penny. A lso read: 12 Most Valuable Lincoln Penny Worth Money Features of the 1959 Penny The Obverse of the 1959 Penny 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 original reverse of the bronze version of the coin, designed by Leonard Charles Wyon, is a seated Britannia, holding a trident, with the words HALF PENNY to either side. Issues before 1895 also feature a lighthouse to Britannia's left and a ship to her right. Various minor adjustments to the level of the sea depicted around Britannia, and the angle of her trident were also made over the years. Some issues feature toothed edges, while others feature beading.a b "Professor John Wells, University College London". PhD General Linguistics, UCL Psychology & Language Sciences