British One Penny coin: Encyclopedia - British One Penny coin

British One Penny coin

The British decimal Penny (1p) coin, produced by the Royal Mint, was issued on 15 February 1971, the day the British currency was decimalised. In practice, it had been available from banks in bags of £1 for some weeks previously. The coin was initially minted from bronze, but since 1992 it has been minted in copper-plated steel. As this is less dense than bronze, post-1992 coins have been slightly thicker. The coin weighs 3.56 grams and has a diameter of 20.32 millimetres.

The reverse of the coin, designed by Christopher Ironside, is a crowned portcullis with chains (an adaptation of the Badge of Henry VII which is now the Badge of the Palace of Westminster), with the numeral "1" written below the portcullis, and either NEW PENNY (1971–1981) or ONE PENNY (1982–present) above the portcullis.

During the history of the coin, three different obverses have been used so far. Between 1971 and 1984 the head of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin was used, in which the Queen wears the 'Girls of Great Britain and Ireland' Tiara. Between 1985 and 1997 the head by Raphael Maklouf was used, in which the Queen wears the George IV State Diadem. Since 1998 one by Ian Rank-Broadley has been used, again featuring the tiara, with a signature-mark IRB below the portrait. In all cases, the inscription used is ELIZABETH II D.G.REG.F.D. year. Both sides of the coin are encircled by dots.

One penny and two pence coins are legal tender only up to the sum of 20p; this means that it is permissible to refuse payment of sums greater than this amount in one and two pence coins in order to settle a debt.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "British One Penny coin", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki