United Kingdom | |
| Value | 1d |
|---|---|
| Mass | (Bronze) 9.4 g |
| Diameter | (Bronze) 31 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Composition | |
| Years of minting | 1707–1970 |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | Profile of the monarch (Elizabeth II design shown) |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Britannia |
| Designer | Leonard Charles Wyon |
| Design date | 1936 |
TheBritishpre-decimalpenny was a denomination ofsterling coinage worth1⁄240 of onepound or1⁄12 of oneshilling. Its symbol wasd, from the Romandenarius. It was a continuation of the earlierEnglish penny, and inScotland it had the same monetary value as onepre-1707 Scottish shilling. The penny was originally minted in silver, but from the late 18th century it was minted in copper, and then after 1860 in bronze.
The plural of "penny" is "pence" (often added as an unstressed suffix) when referring to an amount of money, and "pennies" when referring to a number of coins.[1] Thus 8d is eightpence or eight pence, but "eight pennies" means specifically eight individual penny coins.
BeforeDecimal Day in 1971, sterling used theCarolingian monetary system (£sd), under which the largest unit was a pound (£) divisible into 20 shillings (s), each of 12 pence (d).
The pre-decimal penny was demonetised on 1 September 1971, just over six months after decimalisation, and replaced (in effect) by thedecimal half new penny, with+1⁄2p being worth 1.2d.
The kingdoms ofEngland andScotland were merged by the 1707Act of Union, to form theKingdom of Great Britain. The exchange rate between£1 Scots and£1 sterling had been fixed at 12:1 since theUnion of the Crowns in 1603, and in 1707Scots currency ceased to be legal tender, with sterling to be used throughout Great Britain. The penny replaced the Scotsshilling.[2]
The design and specifications of the sterling penny were unchanged by unification, and it continued to be minted in silver after 1707.Queen Anne's reign saw pennies minted in 1708, 1709, 1710 and 1713. These issues, however, were not for general circulation, instead being minted asMaundy money. The prohibitive cost of minting silver coins had meant the size of pennies had been reduced over the years, with the minting of silver pennies for general circulation being halted in 1660.[3]
The practice of minting pennies only for Maundy money continued through the reigns ofGeorge I andGeorge II, and into that ofGeorge III. However, by George III's reign there was a shortage of pennies such that a great many merchants and mining companies issued their owncopper tokens e.g. theParys Mining Company onAnglesey issued huge numbers of tokens (although their acceptability was strictly limited).[4]
In 1797, the government authorisedMatthew Boulton to strike copper pennies and twopences at hisSoho Mint inBirmingham. At the time it was believed that the face value of a coin should correspond to the value of the material it was made from, so they had respectively to contain one or two pence worth of copper (for a penny this worked out to be one ounce of copper). This requirement meant that the coins would be significantly larger than the silver pennies minted previously. The large size of the coins, combined with the thick rim where the inscription was incuse i.e. punched into the metal rather than standing proud of it, led to the coins being nicknamed "cartwheels". These pennies were minted over the course of several years, but all are marked with the date 1797.[5]
By 1802, the production of privately issued provincial tokens had ceased.[6][7] However, in the next ten years the intrinsic value of copper rose. The return of privately minted token coinage was evident by 1811 and endemic by 1812, as more and more of the government-issued copper coinage was melted down.[7] The Royal Mint undertook a massiverecoinage programme in 1816, with large quantities of gold and silver coin being minted. To thwart the further issuance of private token coinage, in 1817 an Act of Parliament was passed which forbade the manufacture of private token coinage under very severe penalties.[7] Copper coins continued to be minted after 1797, through the reigns ofGeorge III,George IV andWilliam IV, and the early reign ofQueen Victoria. These later coins were smaller than the cartwheel pennies of 1797, and contained a smaller amount of copper.[5]
In 1857 a survey by theRoyal Mint found that around one third of all copper coinage was worn or mutilated, often by advertisements. Two years laterThomas Graham, the Master of the Mint, convincedWilliam Ewart Gladstone, thenChancellor of the Exchequer, that so large a part of the copper coinage must be taken out of circulation that it was worth introducing a whole new coinage which would be "much more convenient and agreeable in use". Thesenew coins were minted in bronze, and their specifications were no longer constrained by the onerous requirement that their face value should match the value of the base metal used to make the coin. They were introduced in 1860 and a year later the withdrawal of the old copper coinage began.[8]
The specifications of the bronze version of the penny were a mass of 9.45 g (0.333 oz) and a diameter of 30.86 mm (1.215 in),[9] and remained as such for over a hundred years. Pennies were minted every year ofQueen Victoria's reign, and every year ofEdward VII's reign.George V pennies were produced every year to the same standard until 1922, but after a three-year gap in production the alloy composition was changed to 95.5% copper, 3% tin and 1.5% zinc, although the weight and size remained unchanged (which was necessary because of the existence by then of large numbers of coin-operated amusement machines and public telephones). Thereafter, pennies were minted every year for the remainder of George V's reign, although only six or seven 1933 coins were minted, specifically for the king to lay under the foundation stones of new buildings; one of these coins was stolen when a church in Leeds was demolished in the 1960s, and its whereabouts is unknown.[10]
A few pennies ofEdward VIII exist, dated 1937, but technically they are pattern coins i.e. coins produced for official approval, which it would probably have been due to receive about the time that the Kingabdicated.[11]
Pennies were not minted every year ofGeorge VI's reign: None was minted in 1941, 1942 and 1943. Pennies minted in 1950 and 1951 were for overseas use only. One 1952 penny, believed to be unique, was struck by the Royal Mint.
The worldwide shortage of tin during theSecond World War caused a change in the alloy in 1944 to 97% copper, 0.5% tin, 2.5% zinc, but this bronze tarnishes unattractively, and the original 95.5% copper, 3% tin, 1.5% zinc alloy was restored in 1945.
Because of the large number of pennies in circulation there was no need to produce any more in the 1950s, however a large number of specimen sets were issued in 1953 forElizabeth II's Coronation. At least one 1954 penny was struck, apparently for private internal purposes at the Royal Mint, but it was not until 1961 that there was a need for more pennies to be minted, and production continued each year until 1967, and afterwards (as pennies continued to be minted with the date 1967, until 1970). The 97% copper, 0.5% tin, 2.5% zinc alloy was used again for the 1960s pennies. Finally, there was an issue of proof quality coins dated 1970 produced to bid farewell to the denomination.
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| Minted | Image | Size | Weight | Material | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1708–1713 | 12.0 mm | 0.5 g | 92.5%silver 7.5%copper | The originalreverse of the British penny is the same as the reverse of the pre-1707 English penny, a crowned letterI, surrounded by the inscriptionMAG BRI FR ET HIB REG. The obverse features the left-facing portrait of Queen Anne, surrounded by the inscriptionANNA DEI GRATIA. | |
| 1716–1727 | George I coins also have a crowned I on the reverse, and busts on the obverse. George I pennies haveGEORGIVS DEI GRA inscribed on the obverse andMAG BR FR ET HIB REX date on the reverse. | ||||
| 1729–1760 | Same design as previous, George II pennies haveGEORGIVS II DEI GRATIA inscribed on the obverse andMAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date on the reverse. | ||||
| 1763–1786 | First obverse, showing a right-facing bust of the king, with the inscriptionGEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA. The first reverse was used until 1780 and shows a crowned "I" in high relief, with the inscriptionMAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date across the crown This was then modified in lower relief with the "I" being much flatter. | ||||
| 1792 | Second obverse, showing an older bust of the king and the same inscription, laureated bust of the king with the inscriptionGEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA date This issue uses a third reverse design which is completely redesigned with a much smaller "I" under a smaller crown with the inscription running around the crown. No changes were made to the legend. | ||||
| 1795–1800 | Second obverse, showing an older bust of the king and the same inscription, laureated bust of the king with the inscriptionGEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA date This issue uses a fourth reverse design which is similar to the one used between 1763 and 1780, but with a redesigned crown. | ||||
| 1817–1820 | The fifth reverse, used from 1817 onwards, shows the crowned "I" with the inscriptionBRITANNIARUM REX FID DEF date. |
| Minted | Image | Size | Weight | Material | Short summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1797 |  | 36.0mm | 28.3g | 100%copper[12] | The "cartwheel" penny was minted in copper, with a weight of 1 oz and a diameter of 1.4 in.[5] Theobverse features a right-facing portrait ofGeorge III, and incused into the rim are the wordsGEORGIUS III·D·G·REX. The initial K appears on the lowest fold of the drapery at the base of the effigy, indicating that the design is the work of the German engraverConrad Heinrich Küchler.[5] The reverse shows the left-facing seated figure ofBritannia, with a trident held loosely in her left hand, and an olive branch in her outstretched right. There are waves about her feet, with a small ship to the left and aUnion Jack shield below and to the right. Above, on the rim, is incused the wordBRITANNIA, and on the rim below the image is incused the date1797. The reverse was also designed by Kuchler.[5] The wordSOHO appears next to the shield, indicating that the coin came from the Soho Mint.[4] |
| 1806–1807 |  | 34.0mm | 18.8g | 100% copper[13] | On the obverse, the head of King George III is turned to the right, the inscriptionGEORGIUS III D: G REX, while the reverse shows a left-facing seated Britannia with a shield and trident, inscribedBRITANNIAR REX FID DEF. EngraverConrad Heinrich Küchler,Soho Mint. |
| 1825–1827 |   | 100% copper[14] | The obverse of George IV's penny shows a highly regarded left-facing laureated head engraved byWilliam Wyon after the king expressed a dislike for the one engraved byBenedetto Pistrucci for use on the farthing, inscribedGEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA date, while the reverse shows a right-facing seated Britannia with a shield and trident, inscribedBRITANNIAR REX FID DEF. | ||
| 1831–1837[15] |   | 18.6g | 100% copper[15] | The pennies of KingWilliam IV are very similar to his predecessors', also being engraved by William Wyon. The king's head faces right, inscribedGULIELMUS IIII DEI GRATIA date, while the reverse is identical to the George IV penny. | |
| 1841–1860 |  | 18.8g | 100% copper[16] | TheYoung Head bust of Victoria was designed by William Wyon who died in 1851. |
| Minted | Image | Diameter | Weight | Material | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1860–1894 |  | 31.0 mm | 9.4 g | 95% copper 4%tin 1%zinc | The second bust of Victoria was designed byLeonard Charles Wyon. The reverse of the bronze version of the coin features a seatedBritannia, holding a trident, with the wordsONE PENNY to either side. |
| 1895–1901 |  | The third and finalOld Head (or "veiled head") bust was designed by Thomas Brock.[17] | |||
| 1902–1910 | .jpg) .jpg) | During the reign of KingEdward VII the lighthouse and ship flanking Britannia were removed and the sea level design was altered to be higher. | |||
| 1911–1922 |   | ||||
| 1925–1936[a] |   | 95.5% copper 3% tin 1.5% zinc | |||
| 1937–1943 |  | During the reign ofGeorge VI the lighthouse was restored on the reverse to the left of Britannia, and her shield was turned upright. | |||
| 1944 | 97% copper 0.5% tin 2.5% zinc | ||||
| 1945–1952 | 95.5% copper 3% tin 1.5% zinc | George VI issue coins feature the inscriptionGEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX F D IND IMP before 1949, andGEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX FIDEI DEF thereafter. | |||
| 1953–1954 | | Pennies were rarely minted during the early reign of Elizabeth II, but those minted for the coronation in 1953 feature the inscriptionELIZABETH II DEI GRA BRITT OMN REGINA F D. | |||
| 1961–1970 | 97% copper 0.5% tin 2.5% zinc | Regular minting of pennies was resumed in 1961. Pennies minted after that date bear the inscriptionELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D. |
| George IV[18] |
|---|
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| William IV[19] |
|---|
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| Victoria (Young bust)[20] |
|---|
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| Victoria (Draped bust)[20] |
|---|
|
| Victoria (Veiled bust)[20] |
|---|
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| Edward VII[22] |
|---|
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| George V[23] |
|---|
|
| George VI[24] |
|---|
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| Elizabeth II[25] |
|---|
|
Note: The mintage figures where "H" or "KN" follows the year relates to coins minted with that particular mint mark. "H" refers to theHeaton Mint, and "KN" to the King's Norton Mint, both of which were contracted to mint supplemental pennies on occasion.[26]
From 1825 to 1970 a total of 3,629,384,952 pennies were minted.
