Posted: 3 May 2020
Category: Company News
The Bronze Penny Is 160 Years Old This Year
The humble bronze penny is 160 years old this year. This particular example actually dates to a bit later but is a lovely example in Extremely Fine (EF) condition, some might grade it is Uncirculated (Unc) but I always like to err on the side of caution and then you can never be accused of over grading.
Prior to 1860 the low value coinage was produced in copper but this was heavy and wore more quickly, so the decision was taken by the Royal Mint to switch to the lighter alloy of bronze.
The original “bun” or “young” head design on the previous copper coins of Queen Victoria from 1839 – 1860 were designed by William Wyon. For the new coinage his son Leonard Charles Wyon was tasked with the makeover and his design for the lighter coinage remained in production until a new profile of the queen, reflecting her advancing years, was produced from 1895 until her death in 1901. This was called the “veiled’ or “old” head and was designed by Thomas Brock.
If you like to hunt through old bags of pennies, apart from some unusual variants, the rarest and most sought after date to look out for is 1869. Even in average condition this can be worth about £150.
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