The
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
three halfpence coin was a denomination of
sterling coinage worth of one
pound or of one
shilling. It was produced for circulation in the
British colonies
A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Coun ...
, mainly in
Ceylon and the
West Indies
The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greate ...
in each year between 1834 and 1843, and also in 1860 and 1862. Proof coins were also produced in 1870.
The coin is considered to be part of the
British coinage
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
because the territories it was struck for otherwise used standard sterling coin and had no independent monetary policy.
The coins were made of silver, weighed 0.7 grams (defined as
troy ounce
Troy weight is a system of units of mass that originated in 15th-century England, and is primarily used in the precious metals industry. The troy weight units are the grain, the pennyweight (24 grains), the troy ounce (20 pennyweights), and th ...
) and had a diameter of . The reverse of the coin, throughout its existence, showed "" beneath a crown and over the date, all contained within a wreath. The obverse of coins minted between 1834 and 1837 show the right-facing portrait of King
William IV
William IV (William Henry; 21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death in 1837. The third son of George III, William succeeded h ...
with the inscription
GULIELMUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D. The obverse of the later coins bear the left-facing portrait of Queen
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, with the inscription
VICTORIA D G BRITANNIAR REGINA F D.
For other denominations, see
British coinage
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
.
In
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
it was nicknamed a ''quatty'', because it was worth one quarter of a
sixpence.
See also
*
Three halfpence (English coin)
References
External links
British Coins- Free information about British coins. Includes an online forum.
Three Halfpence, Coin Type from United Kingdom - Online Coin Club
{{DEFAULTSORT:Three Halfpence (British Coin)
Coins of the United Kingdom