Half Penny

The Half penny (1/2d), pronounced as ha'penny, was successfully introduced under Edward I as part of the new coinage. It was an important and much-needed denomination. Before the issue was introduced traders produced half pennies by cutting penny coins in half, which was obviously impractical in some cases and often inconvenient. The new denomination issued under Edward I allowed trade to increase and facilitated the country’s prosperity.

The hammered coinage of the Half penny usually depicted the king on the obverse and the long cross with three pellets on the reverse. Most halfpennies from hammered reigns tend to be difficult to identify. Most coins are small, often clipped, or in poor condition. Moreover many appear to have blundered legends due to the difficulty in making dies small enough for the denomination.

In 1672 during the reign of Charles II, and due to the need for coins of low denomination, the first milled half pennies came into circulation. The coins depicted Britannia on the reverse, modelled by the Duchess of Richmond, and the king on the obverse. Originally the coin was minted in copper, but after 1860 in the reign of Queen Victoria, the denomination was henceforth minted in bronze.

In 1936 George VI ascended to the throne and during his reign, in 1937, yet another significant change was introduced. This time it was the design that changed. The image of Britannia was no longer to be present in the coin. Instead, the reverse featured a three-masted sailing ship. The ship is said to represent Sir Francis Drake’s ship, the ‘Golden Hind’, and was symbolic of Britain ‘ruling the waves'. Perhaps that might be the reason why it was chosen to replace Britannia on the Half penny.

View as
Sort by
Display per page
Picture of George VI, Halfpenny 1943 Unc

George VI, Halfpenny 1943 Unc

Bronze Halfpenny dated 1943 in Uncirculated condition.
£10.00
Picture of George VI, Halfpenny 1944 Brilliant Unc

George VI, Halfpenny 1944 Brilliant Unc

Bronze Halfpenny dated 1944 in Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
£16.00
1944_halfpenny_rev

George VI, Halfpenny 1944 Unc/Brilliant Unc

Bronze Halfpenny dated 1944 in between Uncirculated & Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
£12.00
1949 Halfpenny Brilliant Unc_obv

George VI, Halfpenny 1949 Brilliant Unc

Bronze Halfpenny dated 1949 in Brilliant Uncirculated condition.
£30.00
Halfpenny 1949-52 BU_rev

George VI, Halfpenny 1949-52 BU

1937 saw a big change in the design of the halfpennies with the reverse depicting Britannia redesigned to display Sir Francis Drake’s ship “The Golden Hind”. As with the farthings, the titles in the legends were changed in 1949. Here we present the 1949-52 Halfpenny in Brilliant Uncirculated condition. Dates will be of our choice.
£10.00
1949-52_Halfpenny_Obv

George VI, Halfpenny 1949-52 Unc

1937 saw a big change in the design of the halfpennies with the reverse depicting Britannia redesigned to display Sir Francis Drake’s ship “The Golden Hind”. As with the farthings, the titles in the legends were changed in 1949. Here we present the 1949-52 Halfpenny in Uncirculated concition. Dates will be of our choice.
£7.00
Picture of George VI, Halfpenny 1952 Brilliant Unc

George VI, Halfpenny 1952 Brilliant Unc

Bronze Halfpenny dated 1952 in Brilliant Uncirculated condition. The last halfpenny of George VI's reign.
£12.00
1952_halfpenny_obv

George VI, Halfpenny 1952 Unc/Brilliant Unc

Bronze halfpenny featuring King George VI from 1952; condition somewhere between uncirculated and brilliant uncirculated.
£12.00
Henry III Short Cross Cut Halfpenny VF_l

Henry II Short Cross Cut Halfpenny VF

Henry II, also known as Henry Curtmantle, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189. During his reign he controlled England, substantial parts of Wales and Ireland, and much of France, an area that altogether was later called the Angevin Empire, and also held power over Scotland and the Duchy of Brittany. We have on off er cut halfpennies from Henry II, they were struck at various mints across the country, but mainly in London and Canterbury. These halfpennies were cut officially, at the mint, and to be used as small change. We have made every eff ort to identify the mint or moneyer wherever possible. Henry II full pennies can cost hundreds of pounds so why not take this opportunity to add a cut halfpenny of Henry II to your collection.
£45.00
Victoria Copper Halfpenny Fine_obv

Victoria Copper Halfpenny Fine

Today we call small coins copper, but they are struck in bronze or even Steel. The last British coins struck in copper were of Queen Victoria and dated 1859/1860. So these Victoria Copper Halfpennies we are offering you were struck between 1838-1860. Dates will be of our choice and there are none of the rare dates in the group. You have the Young Head of Queen Victoria on the obverse and a seated figure of Britannia holding a trident on the reverse. The design was deeply engraved and the thick copper planchet made the coins strike even better
£22.95
Victoria Copper Halfpenny Very Good_obv

Victoria Copper Halfpenny Very Good

Today we call small coins copper, but in fact, they are struck in bronze or even Steel. The last British coins struck in copper were of Queen Victoria and dated 1859/1860. So these Victoria Copper Halfpennies we are offering you were struck between 1838-1860. Dates will be of our choice and there are none of the rare dates in the group. You have the Young Head of Queen Victoria on the obverse and a seated figure of Britannia holding a trident on the reverse. The design was deeply engraved and the thick copper planchet made the coins strike even better
£14.95
 Victoria_Copper_Halfpenny_Very_Fine_Obv

Victoria, Halfpenny (Copper) Very Fine

When Queen Victoria came to the throne the first thing they had to do was strike coins with her portrait on them. One of my favourites and the most difficult denomination to get was the Halfpenny. In those days halfpennies were struck between 1838 -1860 on thick planchets of copper not the thin bronze coins they would issue later. You have the Young Head of Queen Victoria on one side and the seated figure of Britannia on the other side. We have a few and I do mean a few of the high grade examples to offer you. Supplies are limited and this is, after all, the most difficult denomination to get, especially in high grades.
£39.50
Victoria_1898_Old_Head_Halfpenny_Unc_obv

Victoria, Halfpenny (Old Head) 1898 Unc

With much brilliance.
£85.00
1853 Victoria Half penny Choice Unc_obv

Victoria, Halfpenny (Young Head) 1853 Choice Unc

It was March 30th, 1853, in a town called Zundert in the South of the Netherlands, a baby by the name of Vincent was born. He went on to become quite a prominent artist! A week later, in Buckingham Palace, Queen Victoria was about to give birth to Leopold – her eighth of 9 children, at the tender age of 33 years old. The circulating coinage of the time included the Halfpennies dated 1853. We have a fabulous small group in Choice Unc condition with some lustre, and a further few in Uncirculated with more muted lustre. These coins were amongst the last copper coins made, a few years later, in 1860, the bronze coinage was introduced and copper phased out. The coin features the classic young portrait of Victoria by William Wyon, depicted as she was at 17 years of age, with date below. The reverse features the classic seated Britannia with shield and trident. High-grade Halfpennies from the year of Van Gogh’s birth and a great addition to your collection.
£145.00
Victoria 1861 Halfpenny Brilliant Unc_obv

Victoria, Halfpenny 1861 Brilliant Unc

With wonderful bright lustre.
£235.00
Picture of Victoria, Halfpenny 1901 Brilliant Unc

Victoria, Halfpenny 1901 Brilliant Unc

Queen Victoria was our second longest serving Monarch, 1837-1901. The last coins struck for her were dated 1901. We have a nice but small group of the 1901 Old Head halfpennies in Brilliant Uncirculated condition. A nice type coin and the Halfpenny is much more difficult to get than the Penny, especially in such nice condition. The last ever halfpenny of Queen Victoria, worth adding to your collection, while supplies last.
£50.00
Picture of Victoria, Halfpenny 1901 Choice Brilliant Unc

Victoria, Halfpenny 1901 Choice Brilliant Unc

Queen Victoria’s long reign ended in January 1901. So that the 1901 Penny, Halfpenny and Farthing are the last bronze coins made with her portrait. We have bought a small group of 1901 Halfpennies. A great tribute to a great Queen and the condition is so nice. Offered here in CHOICE Brilliant Uncirculated.
£60.00

Shove Ha'penny

The pre-decimal Ha’ penny was also used to play Shove Ha’penny, a once very popular pub game in the UK. Read our blog post about the Shove Ha’penny game to learn more about this traditional game played with 10 coins and a board.

Don’t miss out on Half Penny Coins for Sale

We have available for sale pre-decimal Half pennies, as well as decimal half pennies. Visit the Decimal Half pence sub-category under the category of decimal coins to purchase decimal half pennies.

We update our site regularly with new items, so visiting regularly gives you a better chance to find the coins missing in your collection. But to ensure you don't miss out subscribe to our newsletter.