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 ...

decimal halfpenny (p)

coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

was a denomination of sterling coinage introduced in February 1971, at the time of

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 ...

, and was worth of one pound. It was ignored in banking transactions, which were carried out in units of 1p. The decimal halfpenny had the same value as 1.2 pre-decimal pence, and was introduced to enable the prices of some low-value items to be more accurately translated to the new decimal currency. The possibility of setting prices including an odd half penny also made it more practical to retain the pre-decimal sixpence in circulation (with a value of new pence) alongside the new decimal coinage. The halfpenny coin's

obverse The obverse and reverse are the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ''obverse'' ...

featured the profile of

Queen 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. ...

; the reverse featured an image of

St Edward's Crown St Edward's Crown is the coronation crown of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom. Named after Saint Edward the Confessor, versions of it have traditionally been used to crown English and British monarchs at their coronations since the 13t ...

. It was minted in bronze (like the 1p and 2p coins). It was the smallest decimal coin in both size and value, the size being in proportion to 1p and 2p coins. The halfpenny soon became Britain's least favourite coin.1984: Halfpenny coin to meet its maker
''BBC News'' The UK Treasury argued the halfpenny was important in the fight against inflation, as it prevented prices from being rounded up. Nevertheless, the coin was demonetised and withdrawn from circulation in December 1984.

Design

The reverse of the coin, designed by Christopher Ironside, was a representation of

, with the numeral "" below the crown, and either (1971–1981) or (1982–1984) above the crown. Only one design for the

was used on the halfpenny coin. The inscription around the portrait on the obverse was , where 19xx was the year of minting. Both sides of the coin are encircled by dots, a common feature on coins known as beading. As on all decimal coins produced before 1984, the portrait of

Arnold Machin Arnold Machin OBE RA FRSS (; 30 September 1911 – 9 March 1999) was a British artist, sculptor, and coin and postage stamp designer. Biography Machin was born Stoke-on-Trent in 1911. He started work at the age of 14 as an apprentice china ...

appeared on the obverse; in this portrait the Queen wore the 'Girls of Great Britain and Ireland' Tiara.

Status

The half penny coin was

legal tender Legal tender is a form of money that Standard of deferred payment, courts of law are required to recognize as satisfactory payment in court for any monetary debt. Each jurisdiction determines what is legal tender, but essentially it is anything ...

for amounts not exceeding 20 pence.

Mintages

Mint sets have been produced since 1982; where mintages on or after that date indicate 'none', there are examples contained within those sets.

Proposed quarter penny coin

A decimal quarter-penny coin (to be struck in

aluminium Aluminium (or aluminum in North American English) is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Al and atomic number 13. It has a density lower than that of other common metals, about one-third that of steel. Aluminium has ...

) was also proposed (which would have allowed the pre-decimal threepence to continue to circulate with a value of ), but was never produced.

References

External links