Medieval Cut Halfpennies of Henry III

For almost a century (1180-1272) in British history, the only coins produced were the silver “Short Cross” and later the silver “Long Cross” Pennies. The Short Cross Pennies were first introduced under Henry II in 1180, following 22 years of the poorly produced ‘Tealby’ type pennies. These new Short Cross Pennies had a depiction of the King on the obverse, surrounded by the legend HENRICVS REX. The reverse has a voided cross in the centre, surrounded by the legend. The legend always declares the name of the Moneyer who minted the coin and the Mint at which it was struck. The unusual thing about the coinage is even though Henry II was succeeded by his son Richard ‘Lionheart’, later his brother John ‘Lackland’ and in 1216 by Henry III, they all produced coins under the name of Henry II. This can make identification difficult for most except experienced students of the series. London and Canterbury had the biggest outputs, but another 10 or so Provincial Mints existed across England. While these silver pennies were predominantly the only denomination in circulation, they did cause problems when trading - how do you pay for something worth half a penny? It was commonly assumed that traders would use shears to cut these pennies in half to give as change, but they were usually cut after being struck at the Mints themselves. So these ‘Cut halfpennies’ were officially produced and were legal tender. We can offer you a Cut Halfpenny of the Short Cross type for King Henry III in Very Good grade or the better Fine grade. PLEASE NOTE: PHOTOGRAPHY IS REPRESENTATIVE OF THE COIN SUPPLIED