The Queen Elizabeth II series of pre-decimal coins have been issued in Sherwood Sets of all six denominations. This coin, like any numismatic item, is sought after by collectors for a variety of reasons. It appeals to collectors for its rarity, being a crucial component in creating a truly complete Australian Commonwealth coin set, its historical numismatic significance, and being topic of continued debate. If the coin is brown or red, look for errors. These include doubling on the date and the word “LIBERTY”, or repunched mint marks.

Proof Coin - Halfpenny, Australia, 1923". Museums Victoria Collections . Retrieved 20 November 2020. If you look closely, you’ll see it includes the statue of Lincoln at the center of the portico. That makes the Lincoln Memorial pennies one of the few coins to carry the image of the same person on both sides. The familiar motto “IN GOD WE TRUST” is inscribed above Lincoln’s portrait. Further down and to the left is the word “LIBERTY”. The date is a little lower down on the right-hand side.Halfpenny and Farthing". Royal Mint Museum. Archived from the original on 6 November 2018 . Retrieved 10 May 2014. 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. University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections 'Research Guidance' Weights and Measures § Money" . Retrieved 12 March 2014. 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 is to be noted that the Calcutta Mint had been successfully producing copper Annas and silver Rupees since 1862, so the mint had the resources, systems and experience to produce this new coin. It is still subject to debate how the error of the 1916I Mule Halfpenny came into existence. 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 ship featured on the reverse design, which first appeared on the 1937 halfpenny pattern of Edward VIII, is based on Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind, in which he became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe between 1577 and 1580. The old pre-decimal Penny, was two-hundred-and-fortieth of a pound, and was symbolised with a letter 'd'. This is derived from the Roman denarius coin. An old halfpenny, 1/2d, was therefore, 1/480th of a pound sterling. After 1971, the decimal halfpenny was two-hundredth of a pound, it is symbolised with 'p', as '1/2p'. Michael, Thomas and Cuhaj, George S. Collecting World Coins: Circulating Issues 1901 – Present. Krause Publications, 2001.

In 1937 the reverse design changed from Britannia to be replaced by Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind.

The pattern coin of Edward VIII and regular issue halfpennies of George VI and Elizabeth II feature a redesigned reverse displaying Sir Francis Drake's ship the Golden Hind. George VI issue coins feature the inscription GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX F D IND IMP before 1949, and GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX FIDEI DEF thereafter. Unlike the penny, halfpennies were minted throughout the early reign of Elizabeth II, bearing the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA BRITT OMN REGINA F D in 1953, and ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D thereafter. 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]Bronze Pennies weighed just under 10g and measuring slightly under 31mm. The Halfpenny coins weighed 5.67g and measured 25.48mm. Until 1937 the Halfpenny design followed that of the Penny. After this date, on the reverse of half Penny coins, Britannia was replaced with an image of Sir Francis Drake's ship the Golden Hind. 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 obverse of the coin featured the current reigning monarch of Australia (excluding 1936 when Edward VIII was King). Three monarchs were featured; King George V, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II. All halfpennies produced with George VI and Elizabeth II had the Kangaroo Reverse. [5]

In 1936, Edward VIII was crowned as king from 20 January, until he abdicated that same year, on 11 December. However, during this year, all Australian coins continued to bear the bust of George V. [5] King George VI (1938–1952) [ edit ] In 1811 Bolton supplied The Royal Mint with machinery for a new mint at Tower Hill. Under the Great Recoinage of 1816 this began striking gold and silver coins. It was not until 1825, in the reign of George IV, that it began to mint copper Halfpence coins and Pennies.a b "University College London Dept. of Psychology and Language Sciences, Faculty of Brain Sciences". Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Professor Emeritus John Christopher Wells' C.V. (via Internet Archive) a b c d e f g h i j k McConnelley, Ian (2017). Renniks Australian Pre-Decimal Coin Varieties: Half Penny through to Crown 1910-1964. Rennik's. These featured the conjoined images of William and Mary on the obverse, and an image of Britannia seated on the reverse. A lso read: 13 Most Valuable Wheat Penny Worth Money 1959 Penny Value Guides 1959 (P) No Mint Mark Penny Value 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 VICTORIA D G BRITT REG F D. This was replaced in 1895 by the 'old head', or 'veiled bust'. The inscription on these coins read VICTORIA DEI GRA BRITT REGINA FID DEF IND IMP.