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The British pre-decimal penny coin, abbreviated as 1d (from "denarius" - the Roman coin from which the penny is directly descended), was a unit of currency that equalled one two-hundred-and-fortieth of a pound sterling (there were 20 shillings to a pound, and 12 pence to a shilling so one pound was equal to 240 pence). The denomination continues the tradition of earlier penny coins of Great Britain, which also featured the figure of Britannia. The bronze coins of this type replaced the larger copper pennies which were issued until 1860; copper was considered to be impractical as it wore too rapidly due to extensive circulation. The new, more durable, alloy was composed of 95 parts of copper, four of tin and one of zinc. The coins were also smaller and thinner, therefore more convenient to carry. The dies were engraved by Leonard Charles Wyon, then Engraver to the Royal Mint. The reverse features a new, third, design of Britannia. The obverse carries Leonard Wyon's "Bun Head" portrait of Queen Victoria. Both sides were updated to the pennies carrying the fourth Britannia design and a new effigy of the Queen in 1895. One penny coins issued in 1878 remained in circulation for 93 years until "Decimal Day", 15 February 1971 when the old currency was demonetised and the decimal Pound Sterling was introduced, with a new decimal penny replacing these old coins. | ||||||||||||
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Variety | Proof (Freeman 95) | |
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Mintage | Issued: unknown |
Source | Edition | About | Link | Notes |
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Museums Victoria Collections | 2016 | Coin description | link | |
Whitman, Guidebook of English Coins, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | 1962 | Mint | ||
Whitman, Guidebook of English Coins, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | 1962 | Mintage | ||
Whitman, Guidebook of English Coins, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries | 1962 | Varieties | Proof |
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Country | United Kingdom |
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Currency | Pound Sterling (pre-decimal) |
Coin Type | Penny, Britannia third design |
Issued | 1878 |
Monarch | Queen Victoria |
Effigy | Queen Victoria - Portrait by Leonard Charles Wyon (Bun Head) |
Reverse | Britannia, Seated |
Face Value | 1 (x Penny) |
Total Mintage | 2,764,470 (2.8 million) |
Current | No; demonetised 1971 |
Material | Bronze |
Designer | Leonard Charles Wyon |
Technology | Milled (machine-made) |
Shape | Round |
Orientation | Medal Alignment (Axis 0) |
Size | 31.0000 mm |
Mass | 9.4000 g |
OCC ID | LGVB-ELDC-LQKX-EMPX |
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Image | Details |
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Great Britain 1878 penny
Copyright: CoinFactsWiki / CC BY-SA Author: Stack's Bowers Notes: Proof. Source |
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Great Britain 1878 penny
Copyright: CoinFactsWiki / CC BY-SA Author: Stack's Bowers Notes: Proof. Source |
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Great Britain Penny 1878
Copyright: numis-kimel Source |
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Great Britain Penny 1878
Copyright: numis-kimel Source |
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Coin - Penny, Queen Victoria, Great Britain, 1878
Copyright: Museums Victoria / CC BY Author: Justine Philip Source |
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Coin - Penny, Queen Victoria, Great Britain, 1878
Copyright: Museums Victoria / CC BY Author: Justine Philip Source |
Source | Reference ID |
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Freeman, Bronze Coinage of Great Britain | 94, 95 |
Spink, Coins of England and the United Kingdom | 3954 |
Krause, Standard Catalog of World Coins | Great Britain KM# 755 |