Halfpenny (Britannia, fourth design), Coin Type from United Kingdom - detailed information

Effigy of the ruling British monarch, legend in Latin. During the existence of this coin type, pennies were issued for:

- Queen Victoria (1895 - 1901)
- King Edward VII (1902 - 1910)
- King George V (1911 - 1936)

Obverses used, and obverse varieties (as per Freeman):

Obverse 1 (Queen Victoria) (1895 - 1901)
Effigy known as the "Veiled head" or "Old head": crowned bust of Queen Victoria facing left wearing a veil over the back of the crown, pearl necklace and a pendant; on the left lapel of the mantle, exhibited full-face, is the ribbon and Star of the Garter, part of the outer edge of which is covered by the veil; around, the legend VICTORIA · DEI · GRA · BRITT · REGINA · FID · DEF · IND · IMP ·; in the field below the bust in small letters, the artist's initials, T.B. (for Thomas Brock). A slight difference from the essentially identical one penny obverse is that the diadem has one pearl less.

Obverse 1 (King Edward VII) (1902 - 1910)
Bare head of King Edward VII facing right; below in small letters the designer's initials De S. (for G.W. De Saulles, Mint Engraver); around, the monarch's legend EDWARDVS VII DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP: (Edward the Seventh, by the Grace of God, King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India).

Obverse 1 (King George V) (1911 - 1925)
Bare head of King George V facing left; below on neck truncation in small letters, the designer's initials B.M. (for Sir Bertram MacKennal); around, the monarch's legend GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP: (George the Fifth, by the Grace of God, King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India).

Obverse 2 (King George V) (1925 - 1927)
This is the so-called "Modified effigy". The King's hair is depicted by faintly incuse lines, the eyelid curves downwards to the right where previously it was straight, and there is a pupil to the eye. The designer's initials are BM (without stops), smaller than before and faintly struck.

Obverse 3 (King George V) (1928 - 1936)
The portrait is very similar to that of Obverse 2 but is much smaller. The legend is almost continuous around the head, with larger spaces between words. The bust is in slightly higher relief than before, with the hair more deeply engraved.

The reverse of the coin shows, within a beaded border, the figure of Britannia - the female personification of Great Britain - seated facing right, wearing a crested Corinthian helmet pushed back to reveal her face and a flowing dress, resting her right hand on a shield bearing the combined crosses of the Union Flag, and holding a trident in her left hand.

Around left and right, the denomination HALF PENNY. In exergue, the date.

Freeman describes the following varieties of the reverse:

Reverse A (Queen Victoria) (1895 - 1896)
Unlike the earlier (third) design, there is no lighthouse or ship in the background. The sea level is comparable to that of the one penny Reverse B, i.e. it extends above the rock to the right of Britannia, and also appears on the left. It is 3 mm from the exergue line. The distance between the top of the helmet plume to the exergue line directly below is 20.3 mm.

Reverse B (Queen Victoria) (1896 - 1901)
Very similar to Reverse A (Queen Victoria) but the border dots are narrower with spaces between them, and the rim is thinner. The design is slightly larger, so the distance between the top of the helmet plume to the exergue line directly below is 20.7 mm. There is also an extra rock outline to the left.

Reverse C (Queen Victoria) (1897)
Similar to Reverse B (Queen Victoria) but the sea level is 3.35 mm from the exergue line. The exergue is more shallow; the date numerals slightly overlap the line.

Reverse A (King Edward VII) (1902)
As Reverse B (Queen Victoria) but dated 1902. Known as the "Low tide" variety. This was changed to Reverse B (high tide) early during the year so is much scarcer.

Reverse B (King Edward VII) (1902 - 1910)
As Reverse A (King Edward VII) but the sea level to the right of Britannia is higher (hence know as "High tide"), at 4 mm from the exergue line.

Reverse A (King George V) (1911 - 1925)
As Reverse B (King Edward VII).

Reverse B (King George V) (1925 - 1936)
The shield is held closer to Britannia, and there is therefore more sea line visible to the left. The waves are more sharply cut. The distance from the centre of the exergue line to the edge of the coin is 3 mm, where it was 2.2 mm before. Britannia's thumb is farther from the cross. The lettering is slightly thicker, and the border teeth are larger, fewer and more sharply defined than before.

References to additional information:

[Book] Bressett, Kenneth E. 1962. A Guidebook of English Coins, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Wisconsin, USA. pp 26-28
[Book] Freeman, Michael J. 1970. The Bronze Coinage of Great Britain. Motherwell, Scotland. (2016 ed. pp100-105)
[Book] Remick, Jerome. 1971. The Guide Book and Catalogue to British Commonwealth Coins., pp198-199