Three halfpence (British coin)
The British three halfpence was a silver coin worth 1+1/2d or 1/160 of a pound produced for circulation in the British colonies, mainly in Ceylon and the West Indies in each year between 1834 and 1843, and also in 1860 and 1862. Proof coins were also produced in 1870.
United Kingdom | |
| Value | 1/160 pound sterling |
|---|---|
| Mass | 0.71 g |
| Diameter | (1834-1837) 12.3 mm (1837-1870) 12 mm |
| Edge | plain |
| Composition | 92.5% Ag |
| Years of minting | 1834-1843, 1860, 1862, 1870 |
| Obverse | |
 | |
| Design | Profile of the monarch (Victoria shown) |
| Designer | William Wyon |
| Design date | 1837 |
| Reverse | |
 | |
| Design | Crown and wreath |
| Design date | 1834 |
The coin is considered to be part of the British coinage because it has no indication of what country it was minted for, being made in the same style as the other contemporary coins of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
The coins were made of silver, weighed 0.7 grams (defined as 1⁄44 troy ounce[1]) and had a diameter of 12 millimetres (0.47 in). The reverse of the coin, throughout its existence, showed "1+1/2" beneath a crown and over the date, all contained within a wreath. The obverse of coins minted between 1834 and 1837 show the right-facing portrait of King William IV with the inscription GULIELMUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D. The obverse of the later coins bear the left-facing portrait of Queen Victoria, with the inscription VICTORIA D G BRITANNIAR REGINA F D.
For other denominations, see British coinage.
References
- Kindleberger, Charles P. (2005). A Financial History of Western Europe. Taylor & Francis. p. 60. ISBN 9780415378673.
See also
External links
- British Coins - Free information about British coins. Includes an online forum.
- Three Halfpence, Coin Type from United Kingdom - Online Coin Club