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

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Ha’porth: British English i.e. ' halfpenny-worth' or ' halfpennyworth' pronounced / ˈ h eɪ p ə θ/. [6] [7] Bruce, Colin R.; Thomas Michael (2005). 2006 Standard Catalog of World Coins (1901-present). KP Books. p.66. ISBN 0-87349-987-5. Early Pennies were pure silver, exchangeable for and worth their weight in the precious metal. The Halfpence coins were, likewise, half the weight and also equal in value to their weight in the precious metal content. Australian halfpennies depicting George V feature him robed and crowned on the obverse, facing to the left and from bust up. The effigy of George V used is known to "grace the vast majority of Australia’s rarest and most desirable Commonwealth coins." [1] Various Halfpenny coins were minted in unsuccessful attempts to resolve this shortage. These included the minting of some tin Halfpenny coins. The tin coins also had the advantage of supporting the flagging Cornish tin mines. However, they corroded too easily and were soon withdrawn.

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.The first of which were introduced by around 785 by the Anglo-Saxon King Offa of Mercia. The name Penny was derived from the German ‘pfennig’ and old English ‘pennige’.

This happened to more than one die, resulting in a number of different double die obverse varieties. The most valuable of these is the one coded FS-101. This has doubling on the word “LIBERTY” and the date. The likeness may have been based on a photograph that had been taken of Lincoln at the studio of one Matthew Brady. Some coin historians believe it was Brady himself who took the photograph, others that it was more likely the work of one of his assistants.

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. Coin grading agencies assess the color of pennies and assign them one of three classifications: red, red and brown, or brown.