Penny, 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)
- King George VI (1937 - 1952)
- Queen Elizabeth II (1953 - 1970)

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).

Obverse 1 (King Edward VII) (1902 - 1908)
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:.

Obverse 1* (King Edward VII) (1908)
As Obverse 1 (King Edward VII), bust in high relief but with different alignment of legend. The distance from the centre of the top of the second "T" in BRITT to that of the "O" in OMN is 2.75 mm. The "G" in GRA slopes anti-clockwise.

Obverse 2 (King Edward VII) (1908 - 1910)
Similar to Obverse 1 (King Edward VII) but parts of the legend are closer together; the colon after BRITT is only 0.5 mm from the "O" in OMN. The bust is in slightly higher relief than before.

Obverse 1 (King George V) (1911 - 1913)
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:.

Obverse 2 (King George V) (1913 - 1920)
As Obverse 1 (King George V) but there is less space between GRA: and BRITT. The colon after IMP does not align with a border tooth.

Obverse 3 (King George V) (1920 - 1926)
Similar to Obverse 2 (King George V), but the head and legend are in slightly lower relief; the tip of the truncation is sharper and curves forwards more. The words GRA and BRITT in the legend are farther apart than before. The colon after IMP aligns with a border tooth.

Obverse 4 (King George V) (1926 - 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 5 (King George V) (1928 - 1936)
The portrait is very similar to that of Obverse 4 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.

Obverse 1 (King George VI) (1937)
Bare head of King George VI facing left; below the neck in small letters, the designer's initials HP (for Thomas Humphrey Paget); around, the monarch's legend GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP..

Obverse 2 (King George VI) (1937 - 1948)
Similar to Obverse 1 (King George VI) but the border teeth have been slightly rearranged so that now the vertical stroke of "P" in IMP points slightly to the right of a border tooth, whereas before it pointed directly to it.

Obverse 3 (King George VI) (1949 - 1952)
Similar to Obverses 1 and 2 but the "IND : IMP." (Emperor of India) part is omitted from the legend due to the Independence of India. "F : D :" (Defender of the Faith) has been extended to "FIDEI DEF" (abbreviated from FIDEI DEFENSOR). Thus, the full legend now reads GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX FIDEI DEF..

Obverse 1 (Queen Elizabeth II) (1953)
Laureate bust of Queen Elizabeth II facing right (effigy by Mary Gillick known as the "First portrait"); the designer's initials, M.G., appear incuse, very faintly, on the base of the truncation. The monarch's legend ELIZABETH II DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REGINA F: D: + runs continuously all around the bust. The border dots are almost circular.

Obverse 1* (Queen Elizabeth II) (1953)
As Obverse 1 (Queen Elizabeth II) but with a toothed border.

Obverse 2 (Queen Elizabeth II) (1954)
Similar to Obverse 1 (Queen Elizabeth II) but the details of the bust are more deeply engraved and the legend now reads ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D : +. The bust is 21 mm in depth.

Obverse 3 (Queen Elizabeth II) (1961 - 1967)
Similar to Obverse 2 (Queen Elizabeth II) but the bust is 22.5 mm in depth, the head now being situated farther from the cross.

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.

In the background, sea waves; in 1937 and later - at left, a lighthouse.

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

Freeman describes the following varieties of the reverse:

Reverse A (Queen Victoria) (1895)
Unlike the earlier (third) design, there is no lighthouse or ship in the background. There is an area of sea only to the right of Britannia, up to the height of the rock (hence the variety is also known as "Low Tide"). The "P" of "PENNY" is 2 mm from the nearest point of the trident head.

Reverse B (Queen Victoria) (1895 - 1901)
Similar to Reverse A (Queen Victoria) but the letters are farther apart from each other. "N" in "ONE" is mis-aligned. The sea level to the right of Britannia is higher (hence the variety is also known as "High Tide"). There is also a small area of sea to the left. The "P" of "PENNY" is 1 mm from the nearest point of the trident head.

Reverse C (Queen Victoria) (1897)
Similar to Reverse B (Queen Victoria) but the sea level at the foot of Britannia is higher (4.15 mm from the exergue line), hence the variety is called "High sea level" in catalogues. The shield rim almost touches the border. The letter "E" in PENNY is mis-aligned.

Reverse A (King Edward VII) (1902)
As Reverse B (Queen Victoria).

Reverse B (King Edward VII) (1902 - 1905)
Similar to Reverse A (King Edward VII) but the sea level to the right of Britannia is 4.4 mm from the exergue line (hence known as "High tide").

Reverse C (King Edward VII) (1905 - 1908)
Similar to Reverse B (King Edward VII) but the "E" of "PENNY has been turned in clockwise direction. Often this is combined with "ghosting" of the coin.

Reverse D (King Edward VII) (1908 - 1909)
More deeply engraved than before. Saint George's cross on the shield has a raised outline to the flat sections. The waves along the exergue line are clearer and more curved. The lower end of the plume of Britannia's helmet is divided into two sections.

Reverse E (King Edward VII) (1909, 1910)
Similar to Reverse D (King Edward VII) but the waves have been more finely cut. The exergue is slightly smaller. The first numeral 1 is centrally situated above a tooth unlike on Reverse D.

Reverse A (King George V) (1911 - 1913)
As Reverse E (King Edward VII) but date numerals are slightly larger and more widely spaced.

Reverse B (King George V) (1913 - 1926)
As Reverse A (King George V) but the design is slightly reduced in size and the rim is thicker. The date numerals are closer to one another. There are more teeth to the border.

Reverse C (King George V) (1922, 1927 - 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 3.5 mm, where it was between 2.75 mm and 3 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.

Reverse A (King George VI) (1937)
Similar to earlier reverses; the sea level, if continued, would pass through a border tooth; the right vertical limb of the second "N" in PENNY points directly to a border tooth.

Reverse B (King George VI) (1937 - 1940)
Similar to Reverse A (King George VI) but the date numerals and the helmet plumes are slightly more slender. The right vertical limb of each of the "N"s in PENNY points between two border teeth. The sea level, if continued, would pass above a border tooth. There again a is a lighthouse in the background at left, like in the Third design but unlike pennies between 1895 and 1936.

Reverse C (King George VI) (1940 - 1951)
Similar to Reverse B (King George VI) but the exergue line is double. The wave are more sharply defined and are separate from the exergue line.

Reverse A (Queen Elizabeth II) (1953)
As Reverse C (King George VI).

Reverse B (Queen Elizabeth II) (1953)
Similar to Reverse A (Queen Elizabeth II) but the border is of almost circular dots. The figure of Britannia measures 22.9 mm from the top of the helmet plume to the exergue line.

Reverse C (Queen Elizabeth II) (1954)
As Reverse B (Queen Elizabeth II) but the figure of Britannia measures 23.25 mm from the top of the helmet plume to the exergue line.

Reverse D (Queen Elizabeth II) (1961)
Similar to Reverse B (Queen Elizabeth II) but the exergue line has an incuse line above it. The waves have been recut with incuse lines. The border dots have been rearranged so that the right limb of the "N" in ONE points between two border dots, whereas it pointed directly to a dot before.

Reverse E (Queen Elizabeth II) (1962)
The whole design, except for the sea, is sharper. The 9 in the date is in line with the other numerals. The rim is thicker.

Reverse F (Queen Elizabeth II) (1963)
Similar to Reverse E (Queen Elizabeth II) but Britannia is 23.2 mm from helmet to exergue. The rim is much thinner.

Reverse G (Queen Elizabeth II) (1964)
Similar to Reverse E (Queen Elizabeth II) but the waves have been recut and are more sharply depicted. The rim is intermediate in thickness between those on Reverses E and F.

Reverse H (Queen Elizabeth II) (1965)
Similar to Reverse G (Queen Elizabeth II) but the waves have again been recut and are sharper.

Reverse I (Queen Elizabeth II) (1966)
Similar to Reverse H (Queen Elizabeth II) but once again the waves have been recut slightly more sharply.

Reverse J (Queen Elizabeth II) (1967)
Similar to Reverse I (Queen Elizabeth II) but the waves have been recut again and are extremely sharp. The sea level line is in high relief.

References to additional information:

[Book] Bressett, Kenneth E. 1962. A Guidebook of English Coins, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Wisconsin, USA. pp 31-40
[Book] Freeman, Michael J. 1970. The Bronze Coinage of Great Britain. Motherwell, Scotland. (2016 ed. pp48-73)
[Book] Remick, Jerome. 1971. The Guide Book and Catalogue to British Commonwealth Coins., pp 202-206