Penny (Pre-decimal), Coin Type from United Kingdom - detailed information

Effigy of the ruling British monarch, part of the legend (in Latin).

During the existence of the denomination, pennies were issued for:
- King George III (1806 - 1808)
- King George IV (1825 - 1831)
- King William IV (1831 - 1837)
- Queen Victoria (1838 - 1901)
- King Edward VII (1902 - 1910)
- King George V (1911 - 1936)
- King George VI (1937 - 1952)
- Queen Elizabeth II (1953 - 1970)

The reverse went through several transformations during the existence of the denomination. Excluding the silver pennies, these were:

The first reverse (1806 - 1808) was designed by Conrad Heinrich Küchler; the coins were struck by the Soho Mint. It shows the figure of Britannia - the female personification of Great Britain - seated on a rock, facing left, holding a trident and extending an olive branch; a shield decorated with the British flag rests against the rock at right. In the background to the left, a sailing ship. Around above, the legend BRITANNIA. There is no indication of the value and denomination.

Subsequent coins were struck almost exclusively by the Royal Mint; its production was on a few occasions supplemented by Heaton and Sons and the King's Norton Metal Company, both in Birmingham, with mint marks H and KN respectively.

The second reverse (1825 - 1860), designed by William Wyon, features a new rendition of Britannia; she is seated facing right, wearing a Corinthian helmet pushed back to reveal her face, resting her right hand on a shield bearing a saltire of arms, and holding a trident in her left hand. In the exergue, a rose, a thistle and a shamrock combined - the floral symbols of the constituent parts of the United Kingdom, respectively England, Scotland and Ireland. The reverse also bears part of the monarch's legend. As before, there is no indication of the coin's value and denomination.

The third reverse (1860 - 1894) has a new rendition of Britannia, by Leonard Charles Wyon. Again, she is wearing a crested Corinthian helmet pushed back to reveal her face, 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 at right, a ship sailing away; at left, a lighthouse. Around left and right, the denomination ONE PENNY. In exergue, the date.

The fourth reverse (1895 - 1970) is a simplified version of the third, with the lighthouse and sailing ship removed from the background. In 1937, the lighthouse to the left was restored and featured on the coins until 1970.

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.
[Book] Remick, Jerome. 1971. The Guide Book and Catalogue to British Commonwealth Coins., pp 202-206

Various British colonies, dominions and dependencies also issued their own versions of the penny denomination, usually to be used in parallel with their Imperial counterpart and with compatible dimensions and composition but sometimes made deliberately different, e.g. with a central hole. For these, see:

- Ionian Islands, Two Obols - issued in 1819 only, demonetised 1864
- British West Africa, One Penny - with central hole, issued 1907 to 1958, demonetised 1968
- Australia, One Penny - issued 1911 to 1964, withdrawn 1966 (not demonetised)
- New Guinea, One Penny - with central hole, issued 1929 to 1944, demonetised 1966
- Fiji, Penny - with central hole, issued 1934 to 1968, demonetised 1969
- New Zealand, One Penny - issued 1940 to 1965, demonetised 1967
- Nigeria, One Penny - with central hole, issued 1959 only, demonetised 1973