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. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

pre-decimal halfpenny (pronounced ), once abbreviated ''ob.'' (from the Latin 'obulus'), is a discontinued denomination of sterling coinage worth of one

pound Pound or Pounds may refer to: Units * Pound (currency), various units of currency * Pound sterling, the official currency of the United Kingdom * Pound (mass), a unit of mass * Pound (force), a unit of force * Rail pound, in rail profile * A bas ...

, of one

shilling The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currency, currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 1 ...

, or of one

penny A penny is a coin (: pennies) or a unit of currency (: pence) in various countries. Borrowed from the Carolingian denarius (hence its former abbreviation d.), it is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system. At present, it is ...

. Originally the halfpenny was minted in copper, but after 1860 it was minted in bronze. In the run-up to

decimalisation Decimalisation or decimalization (see American and British English spelling differences, spelling differences) is the conversion of a system of currency or of weights and measures to units related by Power of 10, powers of 10. Most countries have ...

, 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). The halfpenny featured two different designs on its reverse during its years in circulation. From 1672 until 1936 the image of

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

appeared on the reverse, and from 1937 onwards the image of the

Golden Hind ''Golden Hind'' was a galleon captained by Francis Drake in his circumnavigation of the world between 1577 and 1580. She was originally known as ''Pelican,'' but Drake renamed her mid-voyage in 1578, in honour of his patron, Sir Christopher Ha ...

appeared. Like all British coinage, it bore the portrait of the monarch on the obverse. "Halfpenny" was colloquially written ''ha'penny'', and "''d''" was spoken as "a penny ha’penny" or ''three ha'pence'' . "Halfpenny" is a rare example of a word in the

English language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

that has a silent ' f'. Before

Decimal Day Decimal Day () in the United Kingdom and in Republic of Ireland, Ireland was Monday 15 February 1971, the day on which each country decimalised its respective £sd currency of pound sterling, pounds, Shilling (British coin), shillings, and pe ...

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. While the halfpenny is no longer in circulation, it continues to be used by enthusiasts of the traditional British

pub game A pub game is one which is traditionally played inside or outside a pub. Most pub games date back centuries and are rooted in village culture. Many derive from older outdoor sports. Pub games can be loosely grouped into throwing games, dice ...

shove ha'penny Shove ha'penny (or shove halfpenny) pronounced /ʃʌv ˈheɪpəni/ (with emphasis on 'shove') also known in ancestral form as shoffe-grote ['shove- groat' in Modern English], slype groat ['slip groat'], and slide-thrift, is a pu ...

Design

British pre-decimal halfpenny 1936 reverse

The original reverse of the bronze version of the coin, designed by

Leonard Charles Wyon Leonard Charles Wyon (23 November 1826 – 20 August 1891) was a British engraver of the Victorian era most notable for his work on the gold and silver coinage struck for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 and the bronze coinage of ...

, is a seated

, holding a trident, with the words to either sides. 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. Over the years, various different obverses were used. Edward VII, George V, George VI and Elizabeth II each had a single obverse for halfpennies produced during their respective reigns. Over the long reign of Queen Victoria two different obverses were used, but the short reign of Edward VIII meant no halfpennies bearing his likeness were ever issued. During Victoria's reign, the halfpenny was first issued with the so-called 'bun head', or 'draped bust' of Queen Victoria on the obverse. The inscription around the bust read . This was replaced in 1895 by the 'old head', or 'veiled bust'. The inscription on these coins read . Coins issued during the reign of

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second child ...

feature his likeness and bear the inscription . Similarly, those issued during the reign of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

feature his likeness and bear the inscription . A halfpenny of King

Edward VIII Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire, and Emperor of India, from 20 January ...

(1936) does exist, dated 1937, but technically it is a

pattern coin A pattern coin is a coin which has not been approved for release, but produced to evaluate a proposed coin design. They are often off-metal strike (using metals of lower value to test out the dies), to proof standard or piedforts. Many coin co ...

i.e. one produced for official approval; it would probably have been due to receive this approval at about the time that the King abdicated. The obverse shows a left-facing portrait of the king (who considered this to be his better side, and consequently broke the tradition of alternating the direction in which the monarch faces on coins – some viewed this as indicating bad luck for the reign); the inscription on the obverse is . The pattern coin of Edward VIII and regular issue halfpennies of

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until Death and state funeral of George VI, his death in 1952 ...

and

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

feature a redesigned reverse displaying

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English Exploration, explorer and privateer best known for making the Francis Drake's circumnavigation, second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580 (bein ...

's ship the ''

''. George VI issue coins feature the inscription before 1949, and thereafter. Unlike the penny, halfpennies were minted throughout the early reign of Elizabeth II, bearing the inscription in 1953, and thereafter.

Mintages

Terminology

Ha’porth:

British English British English is the set of Variety (linguistics), varieties of the English language native to the United Kingdom, especially Great Britain. More narrowly, it can refer specifically to the English language in England, or, more broadly, to ...

i.e. 'halfpenny-worth' or 'halfpennyworth' pronounced . (via Internet Archive WayBack Machine: 2 Oct 2019) ''In literal use'' usually written out in full''Did I hear you "aright"?''PhD General Linguistics, UCL Psychology & Language SciencesProfessor Emeritus John Christopher Wells' C.V. (via Internet Archive) although still ''never pronounced phonetically'': e.g. "A halfpennyworth of chips."'' 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."Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
"…and saying it doesn't make a halfpennyworth of difference!"Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
. circa 22 min. & 33. sec. in. (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 p)—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."Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

References

External links

Halfpenny (Pre-decimal), Coin Type from United Kingdom
– Online Coin Club {{DEFAULTSORT:Halfpenny Coins of Great Britain Pre-decimalisation coins of the United Kingdom Coins of the United Kingdom

Design

Mintages

Terminology

See also

References

External links