What is the rarest British one penny coin?

Answer 1

The modern British Sovereign has only been minted since 1817.

Most coins minted prior to 1887 will have the obverse and reverse 180 degrees opposed. This is normal.

In some years, more than one variant of the Sovereign were minted, so you are often looking for very fine differences and you would frequently need the different variants side by side to appreciate the differences.

All coins are minted at the London Mint unless otherwise specified.

The following are rated as "Extremely Rare" and does not include Proof coins.

1818 - 3 variants - hair with tighter curls.

1820 - 8 variants - spread 18 and 20 short date.

1820 - 8 variants - Roman "I" instead of "1".

1844 - 3 variants - Inverted second "4".

1860 - 6 variants - "O" over "C" in obverse legend.

1860 - 6 variants - DEI GRA - the "A" is an inverted "V".

1862 - 4 variants - VICTORIA - the "R" is inverted.

1862 - 4 variants - DEF - the "F" is an inverted "A" and the date is narrow.

1862 - 2 variants - Sydney (S) mint version only - VICTORIA - the "V" is an inverted "A".

1879 - 2 variants - Melbourne (M) mint version only - horse has a short tail.

1880 - 2 variants - Melbourne (M) mint version only - horse has a short tail.

1887 - 2 variants - hooked "J" at the base of the truncation on obverse.

1887 - 2 variants - Sydney (S) mint version only - designers initials "JEB" minute differences.

1888 - 2 variants - Melbourne (M) mint version only - designers initials "JEB" minute differences.

1889 - 2 variants - Melbourne (M) mint version only - designers initials "JEB" minute differences.

1889 - 2 variants - Sydney (S) mint version only - designers initials "JEB" minute differences.

1890 - 2 variants - Melbourne (M) mint version only - designers initials "JEB" minute differences.

1891 - 2 variants - "G:" of "D:G:" closer to crown.

1889 - 2 variants - Sydney (S) mint version only - designers initials "JEB" minute differences.

Answer 2

Probably the rarest modern (ish) pre-decimal coin is the 1933 penny, with only 7 or possibly 8 were minted.

Britain has been producing coins for well over a millennium, so there are quite a few "rare" coins.

Answer 3

The Florin (Two Shillings) was first issued as a general circulation coin in 1849.

The following British Florins are rated as "Extremely Rare".

1877, 1879 and 1880. The dates are all in Roman numerals.

There are also a number of Proof FDC Florins from the same period that are rated as "Extremely Rare" or "of the Highest Rarity".

Answer 4

There are no general circulation British decimal coins that could be considered rare.

The British 50 Pence coin of which there were the fewest minted would be the 1985 coin. There were 682,103 minted.

There is mention of a "Double Headed" 1969 50 New Pence coin, but there is no convincing documentary evidence to support its existence.

Most of what people claim to be "Double Headed" coins are trick or novelty coins available from magic shops.

Answer 5

There is no general circulation British Two Pound coin that could be considered to be rare.

The Two Pound coin of which the least number were minted was the 1994 "Tercentenary of the Bank of England" commemorative. There were 1,443,116 minted.

Answer 6

The rarest British Penny would be the 1954 Penny. There is one known to exist, maybe two, but there could be some doubt about the second.

Answer 7

The list of British/English rare coins is quite extensive extending back over 1,000 years and would fill a catalogue.