MLS 1959 Halfpenny Collectable British Coin - Uncirculated / Predecimal / UK Souvenir from London England Great Britain

Product Information

It was withdrawn from sale but offered at auction again eight years later.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.

In literal use usually written out in full [8] [9] [10] although still never pronounced phonetically: [11] [12] [13] e.g. "A halfpennyworth of chips." [14] 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." [15] "…and saying it doesn't make a halfpennyworth of difference!" [16] [17] (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years after decimalisation and three years after the New Halfpenny—(i.e. the decimal 1 / 2p)—had been demonetised and withdrawn from circulation, thus further illustrating the continued traditional or idiomatic two-syllable pronunciation).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." [8] [9] [10] [18] See also [ edit ] a b Rees, Peter (2017). Inside the Vault: the History and Art of Australian Coinage. Sydney: NewSouth Publishing. University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections 'Research Guidance' Weights and Measures § Money" . Retrieved 12 March 2014. The 1959 pennies were the first to bear the image of Washington DC’s Lincoln Memorial on the reverse.

Obverse

Consequently, The Royal Mint began to withdraw copper Pennies in 1861. They were replaced by smaller and lighter weight bronze coins in 1863. These were minted by James Watt & Co plus the Heaton Mint, both of Birmingham. Proofs come in three different qualities. Because they were never intended for circulation, all proof coins are red. But if there is an attractive contrast between reflective “fields” – the flat parts of the coin – and frosted raised parts of the design, the coin is classified as a “cameo”. 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'. 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.

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. Further authorisation was granted to Bolton in 1799. This enabled him, in 1806 and 1807, to mint one Penny and two Penny coins with a changed design plus new Halfpence coins.

Type Details

With Lincoln pennies, the color of the coin is also important to its value. Unless there’s an interesting error, most brown and red and brown pennies will be worth only their face value.

The 1916I Mule carries the standard Australian reverse for halfpennies of 1916, however, it is distinguishable by its obverse, which is that of an Indian quarter anna coin. It is Australia's rarest Commonwealth coin issued for circulation, and when its significance was first recognised in the Australian numismatic press in the mid 1960s, it was described as the "biggest find in coin history, and one of the most valuable." [5] There are currently 5 known specimens in existence, [2] and it is predicted that there are 6–10 examples in existence. [7] We are indebted to Declan Magee Coins and Numista member Sjoelund for their kind permission to reproduce the images below which list some of the varieties for this series. A lso read: 12 Most Valuable Lincoln Penny Worth Money Features of the 1959 Penny The Obverse of the 1959 Penny Ha’porth: British English i.e. ' halfpenny-worth' or ' halfpennyworth' pronounced / ˈ h eɪ p ə θ/. [6] [7] 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.Brenner signed his portrait, originally intending to add his signature to the obverse. He was told this would not be acceptable, so instead placed his initials on the reverse.

The new reverse design was the work of Frank Gasparro, who was then the Mint’s Assistant Engraver. And it had considerable longevity: the Lincoln Memorial reverse was included on every cent issued until 2009. 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. Even that, though led to controversy. Some felt that the initials were too prominent and amounted to advertising the artist’s work. Despite Brenner’s protests, his initials were removed. To be classed as red or brown, a coin must be the same color over at least 95% of its total surface area. If it isn’t, it’s classified as red and brown. All other things being equal, red coins are the most valuable, brown coins the least, and red and brown somewhere in between.If that contrast is particularly pronounced, the coin is a “deep cameo”. And all other things being equal, cameos are more valuable than red coins, and deep cameos more valuable still. The shortage of small coins was finally resolved in 1797. In this year, industrialist, Matthew Bolton was authorised by The Bank of England to strike the first legal tender copper one Penny and two Penny coins. This is where you’ll find them on 1959 pennies, and they’ve remained in the same position ever since.