British Coins

A 1967 British Halfpenny looks the same as all British Halfpennies minted from 1953 to 1967. There was no Halfpenny issued in 1961 and the 1967 Halfpenny was the last minted for general circulation.

It is made from bronze, is 25.5 mm in diameter and has a smooth edge. In mint condition if it has been well stored, it may have a gold looking appearance, but probably it will be brown to dark brown in colour.

The obverse has a young Laureate right facing bust of Queen Elizabeth II with the words "ELIZABETH II DEI GRA:BRITT:OMN:REGINA F:D:+" inscribed around the circumference. The inscription is heavily abbreviated Latin for "Elizabeth II by the Grace of God, Queen of all the British territories, Defender of the Faith".

The reverse has an image of Sir Francis Drake's three masted sailing ship "The Golden Hind" with the words "HALF PENNY" around the top and the year at the bottom.

See the link below for a picture.

one quarter

50 / 200 = 5 / 20 = 1 / 4

Such a coin does not exist.

The Royal Mint did not produce any Crown (Five Shilling) coins from 1848 to 1886 inclusive.

In circulated condition, it's worth about a dollar -- however if damaged, corroded, cleaned, or has other problems, it will be worth less than 10 cents. A nice uncirculated one is worth about $20

No, it is not a Five Pound coin.

There were four different gold coin issued in 1911 with George V on the obverse and St George and the Dragon on the reverse. The Five Pound and Two Pound, both as Proof only, and the Sovereign and Half-Sovereign.

The Five Pound coin was the largest of the gold coins in 1911 at about 38mm.

The Half-Sovereign was the smallest of the gold coins in 1911 at 19.5mm.

I cannot find any reference to a 1911 British 16mm gold coin.

Since 1992, copper is only used in British "silver" coins in an alloy with nickel, most commonly 75% copper and 25 % nickel giving the coins a silver appearance.

The combination of copper and nickel gives a hard wearing and durable coin that is resistant to corrosion.

Any coin with a "genuine" minting flaw would have some value, above the usual, as a collectible coin.

Genuinely flawed coins are not necessarily known about or documented until somebody turns up with one, since they are an "accident" of the minting process, and have escaped detection during quality control at the mint therefore, a valuation cannot be anticipated.

A reputable coin dealer should be able to identify and confirm the coin as genuine and make a valuation.

Flaws and errors on coins should not be confused with mutilation or mangling of the coin.

Cash4Gold

The Bank of England first issued a regular Fifty Pound note in around 1725.

The Bank of England issued the modern Fifty Pound note in 1981.

Decimalisation formally occurred in February 1971. However, in 1968 decimal coins were introduced for those denominations that exactly matched old £/s/d coins or bills: the 5p coin replaced the shilling, the 10p replaced the florin, and the 50p coin replaced the 10s note. Sixpence coins also circulated for a while because they were equivalent to 2.5p.

When decimalisation occurred, old half-pennies and pennies were replaced with "new pence", and all other old denominations such as half-crowns were no longer valid. The 20p coin was introduced in 1982 to help with change-making because too many 10p coins were being used. A £1 coin was introduced in 1983 to reduce the demand for paper currency because £1 notes wore out too quickly. The new half-penny was eliminated in 1984 because its purchasing power had fallen to the point where it was no longer useful.

The first decimal coins were the same size as their pre-decimal equivalents, which proved to be unwieldy in the long run. For example the 5p coin was the same size as the old shilling which was once a fairly high-value coin, but by the 1990s its purchasing power had declined to the point where it was a minor denomination; having more than a few of them in your pocket got to be pretty inconvenient. To simplify things the Royal Mint introduced new 5p, 10p, and 50p coins that were much smaller than their predecessors.

More information needed as to which coin.

There were 3d 6d 1/- 2/- 2/6 5/- silver coins.

The most common incuse lettering around the edge of a British Pound coin is "DECUS ET TUTAMEN", meaning "An ornament and a safeguard".

It refers to safeguarding the coin from having "precious" metal shaved from the edge.

The larger pre-1990 5 Pence coins were withdrawn from circulation and demonetised in 1991. So, unless they are part of a Proof or uncirculated mint set or are individual Proof or uncirculated coins and in absolute mint condition, they have little or no value.

A British 1987 cupro-nickel 5 Pence coin (QE II)(Proof FDC), uncirculated and in absolute mint condition could fetch up to £2 GBP.

A reputable coin dealer will be able to give a more accurate valuation.

Apart from the United Kingdom, the Royal Mint makes coins under contract for an average of 60 other countries every year.

A British 1884 gold Half-Sovereign (Victoria)(crowned shield), uncirculated and in absolute mint condition could fetch up to £375 GBP. If it has been circulated but still in good condition, it might fetch anything from bullion value to £225 GBP.

A British 1884 gold Half-Sovereign (Victoria)(crowned shield)(minted in Melbourne - M), uncirculated and in absolute mint condition could fetch up to £6,000 GBP. If it has been circulated but still in good condition, it might fetch anything from £175 to £1,750 GBP.

NOTE - The reverse of these coins is upside down to the obverse. This is normal.

The values quoted are the best possible for the best specimens in their grades, but may be significantly lower due to varying demand for the coin and the prevailing economic climate. A reputable coin dealer will be able to give a more accurate valuation based on inspection of the coin.

The majority of any British bank note is cotton fibre. It is manufactured using extremely high pressures to give the familiar texture and feel to the note. See the Bank of England related link for a more in depth answer. I suspect that the actual composition is a very closely guarded secret, for obvious reasons!

It would depend on what country they are from and what the coins are.

It was an ancient tradition that dated back to when the British isles used Roman currency (denarius).

It is most likely a British Florin (Two Shillings) or a Double Florin (Four Shillings).

A British 1889 Florin (Two Shillings), uncirculated and in absolute mint condition could fetch up to £125 GBP. If it has been circulated but still in good condition, it might fetch up to £8 to £50 GBP.

A British 1889 Double Florin (Four Shillings), uncirculated and in absolute mint condition could fetch up to £110 GBP. If it has been circulated but still in good condition, it might fetch up to £12 to £55 GBP.

A British 1889 Double Florin (Four Shillings) (inverted 1 for an I in VICTORIA), uncirculated and in absolute mint condition could fetch up to £385 GBP. If it has been circulated but still in good condition, it might fetch up to £25 to £175 GBP.

A reputable coin dealer will be able to give a more accurate valuation.

NOTE - VICTORIA DEI GRATIA BRITT REG FID DEF is abbreviated Latin for the Queen's rather grand title. It tells us all about the Queen, but nothing about the coin other than it is comes from Britain or one of the many Commonwealth countries.

Pictures of a specific coin are difficult to come by. Usually you should be able to find one on eBay, but the picture is withdrawn after the coin is sold.

See link to "The Royal Mint" below and look for the 1965 Five Shillings.

The term '1 pence' is incorrect. 'Pence' is the plural of 'penny' and means the same as 'pennies'. So you would not say 'one pennies' but simply 'a penny'. A British penny has looked the same since decimalisation in 1971. The tails side has the words 'ONE PENNY' and the figure '1' below. In the centre is a portcullis (a castle gate) surrounded by chains and with a royal crown on top. Recently the penny has been redesigned with a fraction of a shield on it. although at the time of amswering this question (Nov 2008) there are few in circulation as yet. The heads side of the coin has a portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II, the British monarch. Around this are several inscriptions: 'ELIZABETH II' (the Queen's name) D. G. REG (meaning, in Latin, Dei Gratia Regina - 'By the Grace of God, Queen) F. D. (meaning, in Latin, Fidei Defensor - 'Defender of the Faith' - as the Queen is the supreme Governor, (Under Christ as Head) of the Church of England, and upholds thhe Christian faith of the land) and the date minted eg 1995. Before 1971, pennies were much larger, and had the head of the monarch on one side and Britannia (a female representation of Britain) on the other. In the 1790s thet were huge - weighing a full one ounce of copper. For this reason they were called 'Cartwheel' pennies.

As with all Victorian young head pennies, condition is paramount. If in worn condition it is worth less than a pound but in absolute perfect mint state condition it can be worth a couple hundred pounds.

British coins currently in circulation include the -

1 Penny

2 Pence

5 Pence

10 Pence

20 Pence

50 Pence

1 Pound

2 Pound

5 pound (although it is legal tender, it is not often seen in circulation)

British banknotes currently in circulation include the -

Five Pound

Ten Pound

Twenty Pound

Fifty Pound