The Britishpre-decimalhalfpenny, (pronounced /ˈheɪpəni/), historically also known as the obol[1] and once abbreviated ob. (from the Latin 'obulus'),[2] was a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1/480 of one pound, 1/24 of one shilling, or 1/2 of one penny. Originally the halfpenny was minted in copper, but after 1860 it was minted in bronze. In the run-up to decimalisation, it ceased to be legal tender from 31 July 1969 (although halfpennies dated 1970 were minted as part of a final pre-decimal commemorative set).[3] The halfpenny featured two different designs on its reverse during its years in circulation. From 1672 until 1936 the image of Britannia appeared on the reverse, and from 1937 onwards the image of the Golden Hind appeared.[4] Like all British coinage, it bore the portrait of the monarch on the obverse.[5]
"Halfpenny" was colloquially written ha'penny, and "1+1/2d" was spoken as "a penny ha’penny" /əˈpɛniˈheɪpni/ or three ha'pence/θriːˈheɪpəns/.[6] "Halfpenny" is a rare example of a word in the English language that has a silent 'f'.
The original reverse of the bronze version of the coin, designed by Leonard Charles Wyon, is a seated Britannia, holding a trident, with the words HALF PENNY to either side. Issues before 1895 also feature a lighthouse to Britannia's left and a ship to her right. Various minor adjustments to the level of the sea depicted around Britannia, and the angle of her trident were also made over the years. Some issues feature toothed edges, while others feature beading.
Over the years, various different obverses were used. Edward VII, George V, George VI and Elizabeth II each had a single obverse for halfpennies produced during their respective reigns. Over the long reign of Queen Victoria two different obverses were used, but the short reign of Edward VIII meant no halfpennies bearing his likeness were ever issued.
During Victoria's reign, the halfpenny was first issued with the so-called 'bun head', or 'draped bust' of Queen Victoria on the obverse. The inscription around the bust read VICTORIA D G BRITT REG F D. This was replaced in 1895 by the 'old head', or 'veiled bust'. The inscription on these coins read VICTORIA DEI GRA BRITT REGINA FID DEF IND IMP.
Coins issued during the reign of Edward VII feature his likeness and bear the inscription EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA BRITT OMN REX FID DEF IND IMP. Similarly, those issued during the reign of George V feature his likeness and bear the inscription GEORGIVS V DEI GRA BRITT OMN REX FID DEF IND IMP.
A halfpenny of King Edward VIII (1936) does exist, dated 1937, but technically it is a pattern coin i.e. one produced for official approval; it would probably have been due to receive this approval at about the time that the King abdicated. The obverse shows a left-facing portrait of the king (who considered this to be his better side, and consequently broke the tradition of alternating the direction in which the monarch faces on coins – some viewed this as indicating bad luck for the reign); the inscription on the obverse is EDWARDVS VIII D G BR OMN REX F D IND IMP.
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.
In literal use usually written out in full[9][10][11] although still never pronounced phonetically:[12][13][14] e.g. "A halfpennyworth of chips."[15] 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."[16] "…and saying it doesn't make a halfpennyworth of difference!"[17][18] (from Alan Bennett'sA 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."[9][10][11][19]
^Albert Peel, Seconde parte of a register: being a calendar of manuscripts under that title (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2010), p. 175, note.
^"University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections 'Research Guidance' Weights and Measures § Money". Retrieved 12 March 2014.
^"Halfpenny (Pre-decimal), Coin Type from United Kingdom". Retrieved 21 April 2017.
^"Halfpenny and Farthing". Royal Mint Museum. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
^Michael, Thomas and Cuhaj, George S. Collecting World Coins: Circulating Issues 1901 – Present. Krause Publications, 2001.
^. Lexico: Powered by Oxford. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. (via Internet Archive WayBack Machine: 2 Oct 2019)
^Fowler's Dictionary of Modern English Usage: Page 363, No. 6 . Oxford University Press. 26 March 2015. ISBN9780191064944. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
^ ab"Prof. John Wells's Phonetic Blog".'Did I hear you "aright"?'
^ ab"Professor John Wells, University College London".PhD General Linguistics, UCL Psychology & Language Sciences
^ ab. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012.Professor Emeritus John Christopher Wells' C.V. (via Internet Archive)
^"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.
^"University of Pennsylvania, Department of Linguistics: Assistant Professor Gareth Roberts". Retrieved 11 June 2019.
^"Dr Gareth Roberts, PhD Linguistics, The University of Edinburgh, 2010". Retrieved 17 July 2014.
^Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "Bless Me Father "Baptism of Fire" (Series 1 Episode 1)" – via YouTube.
^Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "Talking Heads "A lady of Letters" With Patricia Routledge (Part 3)" – via YouTube..
^"Talking Heads by Alan Bennett No. 3 "A lady of Letters" (Runtime 33.24)". circa 22 min. & 33. sec. in.
^Archived at Ghostarchive and the : "BBC Breakfast featurette on "Ethel and Ernest" (Originally aired 2016)" – via YouTube.
External links
Halfpenny (Pre-decimal), Coin Type from United Kingdom – Online Coin Club
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Halfpenny.
March 08, 2023
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This article is about the British coin minted between 1672 and 1967 For the decimal halfpenny see Halfpenny British decimal coin For the earlier history of the halfpenny see History of the halfpenny The British pre decimal halfpenny pronounced ˈ h eɪ p en i historically also known as the obol 1 and once abbreviated ob from the Latin obulus 2 was a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1 480 of one pound 1 24 of one shilling or 1 2 of one penny Originally the halfpenny was minted in copper but after 1860 it was minted in bronze In the run up to decimalisation it ceased to be legal tender from 31 July 1969 although halfpennies dated 1970 were minted as part of a final pre decimal commemorative set 3 The halfpenny featured two different designs on its reverse during its years in circulation From 1672 until 1936 the image of Britannia appeared on the reverse and from 1937 onwards the image of the Golden Hind appeared 4 Like all British coinage it bore the portrait of the monarch on the obverse 5 One old halfpennyUnited KingdomValue 1 2 d sterlingMass 1860 1967 5 67 gDiameter 1860 1967 25 48 mmEdgePlainComposition 1672 1860 Copper 1860 1967 BronzeYears of minting1672 1967ObverseDesignProfile of the monarch Elizabeth II design shown DesignerMary GillickDesign date1953ReverseDesignGolden Hind Britannia on earlier mintages DesignerThomas Humphrey PagetDesign date1937 Halfpenny was colloquially written ha penny and 1 1 2 d was spoken as a penny ha penny e ˈ p ɛ n i ˈ h eɪ p n i or three ha pence 8 r iː ˈ h eɪ p en s 6 Halfpenny is a rare example of a word in the English language that has a silent f Before Decimal Day in 1971 sterling used the Carolingian monetary system under which the largest unit was a pound divided into 20 shillings each of 12 pence Each penny was further divided into 4 farthings thus a pound contained 480 halfpennies and a shilling contained 24 halfpennies Contents 1 Design 2 Mintages 3 Terminology 4 See also 5 References 6 External linksDesign Edit Original reverse 1717 1936 The original reverse of the bronze version of the coin designed by Leonard Charles Wyon is a seated Britannia holding a trident with the words HALF PENNY to either side Issues before 1895 also feature a lighthouse to Britannia s left and a ship to her right Various minor adjustments to the level of the sea depicted around Britannia and the angle of her trident were also made over the years Some issues feature toothed edges while others feature beading Over the years various different obverses were used Edward VII George V George VI and Elizabeth II each had a single obverse for halfpennies produced during their respective reigns Over the long reign of Queen Victoria two different obverses were used but the short reign of Edward VIII meant no halfpennies bearing his likeness were ever issued During Victoria s reign the halfpenny was first issued with the so called bun head or draped bust of Queen Victoria on the obverse The inscription around the bust read VICTORIA D G BRITT REG F D This was replaced in 1895 by the old head or veiled bust The inscription on these coins read VICTORIA DEI GRA BRITT REGINA FID DEF IND IMP Illustrated Chips comic in 1896 sold for a halfpenny Coins issued during the reign of Edward VII feature his likeness and bear the inscription EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA BRITT OMN REX FID DEF IND IMP Similarly those issued during the reign of George V feature his likeness and bear the inscription GEORGIVS V DEI GRA BRITT OMN REX FID DEF IND IMP A halfpenny of King Edward VIII 1936 does exist dated 1937 but technically it is a pattern coin i e one produced for official approval it would probably have been due to receive this approval at about the time that the King abdicated The obverse shows a left facing portrait of the king who considered this to be his better side and consequently broke the tradition of alternating the direction in which the monarch faces on coins some viewed this as indicating bad luck for the reign the inscription on the obverse is EDWARDVS VIII D G BR OMN REX F D IND IMP The pattern coin of Edward VIII and regular issue halfpennies of George VI and Elizabeth II feature a redesigned reverse displaying Sir Francis Drake s ship the Golden Hind 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 Mintages EditVictoria Veiled bust 1895 3 032 000 1896 9 143 000 1897 8 690 000 1898 8 595 000 1899 12 108 000 1900 13 805 000 1901 11 127 000Edward VII1902 13 673 000 1903 11 451 000 1904 8 131 000 1905 10 125 000 1906 11 101 000 1907 16 849 000 1908 16 620 999 1909 8 279 000 1910 10 770 000George V1911 12 571 000 1912 21 186 000 1913 17 476 000 1914 20 289 000 1915 21 563 000 1916 39 386 000 1917 38 245 000 1918 22 321 000 1919 28 104 000 1920 35 147 000 1921 28 027 000 1922 10 735 000 1923 12 266 000 1924 13 971 000 1925 12 216 000 1926 6 712 000 1927 15 590 000 1928 20 935 000 1929 25 680 000 1930 12 533 000 1931 16 138 000 1932 14 448 000 1933 10 580 000 1934 7 704 000 1935 12 180 000 1936 22 009 000George VI1937 24 504 000 1938 40 320 000 1939 28 925 000 1940 32 162 000 1941 45 120 000 1942 71 909 000 1943 76 200 000 1944 81 840 000 1945 57 000 000 1946 22 726 000 1947 21 226 000 1948 26 947 000 1949 24 744 000 1950 24 154 000 1951 14 868 000 1952 33 278 000Elizabeth II1953 8 926 000 1954 19 375 000 1955 18 799 000 1956 21 799 000 1957 43 684 000 1958 62 318 000 1959 79 176 000 1960 41 340 000 1962 41 779 000 1963 45 036 000 1964 78 583 000 1965 98 083 000 1966 95 289 000 1967 146 491 000 1970 750 000 souvenir sets only Terminology EditHa porth British English i e halfpenny worth or halfpennyworth pronounced ˈ h eɪ p e 8 7 8 In literal use usually written out in full 9 10 11 although still never pronounced phonetically 12 13 14 e g A halfpennyworth of chips 15 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 16 and saying it doesn t make a halfpennyworth of difference 17 18 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 2 p 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 9 10 11 19 See also Edit Money portal Numismatics portal United Kingdom portalShove ha pennyReferences Edit Albert Peel Seconde parte of a register being a calendar of manuscripts under that title Cambridge England Cambridge University Press 2010 p 175 note University of Nottingham Manuscripts and Special Collections Research Guidance Weights and Measures Money Retrieved 12 March 2014 Halfpenny Pre decimal Coin Type from United Kingdom Retrieved 21 April 2017 Halfpenny and Farthing Royal Mint Museum Retrieved 10 May 2014 Michael Thomas and Cuhaj George S Collecting World Coins Circulating Issues 1901 Present Krause Publications 2001 Halfpenny Oxford English Dictionary Online ed Oxford University Press Subscription or participating institution membership required Halfpennyworth with IPA and audio files Lexico Powered by Oxford Archived from the original on 2 October 2019 via Internet Archive WayBack Machine 2 Oct 2019 Fowler s Dictionary of Modern English Usage Page 363 No 6 Oxford University Press 26 March 2015 ISBN 9780191064944 Retrieved 26 March 2015 a b Prof John Wells s Phonetic Blog Did I hear you aright a b Professor John Wells University College London PhD General Linguistics UCL Psychology amp Language Sciences a b University College London Dept of Psychology and Language Sciences Faculty of Brain Sciences Archived from the original on 9 November 2012 Professor Emeritus John Christopher Wells C V via Internet Archive 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 University of Pennsylvania Department of Linguistics Assistant Professor Gareth Roberts Retrieved 11 June 2019 Dr Gareth Roberts PhD Linguistics The University of Edinburgh 2010 Retrieved 17 July 2014 Blackadder Goes Forth Corporal Punishment Series 4 No 2 via YouTube a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Bless Me Father Baptism of Fire Series 1 Episode 1 via YouTube Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine Talking Heads A lady of Letters With Patricia Routledge Part 3 via YouTube Talking Heads by Alan Bennett No 3 A lady of Letters Runtime 33 24 circa 22 min amp 33 sec in Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine BBC Breakfast featurette on Ethel and Ernest Originally aired 2016 via YouTube External links EditHalfpenny Pre decimal Coin Type from United Kingdom Online Coin Club Wikimedia Commons has media related to Halfpenny Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Halfpenny British pre decimal coin amp oldid 1132791153, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
