Half Penny

The Half penny (1/2d), pronounced as ha'penny, was successfully introduced under Edward I as part of the new coinage. It was an important and much-needed denomination. Before the issue was introduced traders produced half pennies by cutting penny coins in half, which was obviously impractical in some cases and often inconvenient. The new denomination issued under Edward I allowed trade to increase and facilitated the country’s prosperity.

The hammered coinage of the Half penny usually depicted the king on the obverse and the long cross with three pellets on the reverse. Most halfpennies from hammered reigns tend to be difficult to identify. Most coins are small, often clipped, or in poor condition. Moreover many appear to have blundered legends due to the difficulty in making dies small enough for the denomination.

In 1672 during the reign of Charles II, and due to the need for coins of low denomination, the first milled half pennies came into circulation. The coins depicted Britannia on the reverse, modelled by the Duchess of Richmond, and the king on the obverse. Originally the coin was minted in copper, but after 1860 in the reign of Queen Victoria, the denomination was henceforth minted in bronze.

In 1936 George VI ascended to the throne and during his reign, in 1937, yet another significant change was introduced. This time it was the design that changed. The image of Britannia was no longer to be present in the coin. Instead, the reverse featured a three-masted sailing ship. The ship is said to represent Sir Francis Drake’s ship, the ‘Golden Hind’, and was symbolic of Britain ‘ruling the waves'. Perhaps that might be the reason why it was chosen to replace Britannia on the Half penny.