The decimal halfpenny (p) ( ga, leathphingin) coin was the smallest denomination of the
Irish pound
The pound (Irish: ) was the currency of the Republic of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the symbol was £ (or IR£ for distinction). The Irish pound was replaced by the euro on 1 January 1999. Euro currency did not begin cir ...
. It was first issued when the Irish currency was decimalised on
Decimal Day
Decimal Day in the United Kingdom and in Ireland was Monday 15 February 1971, the day on which each country decimalised its respective £sd currency of pounds, shillings, and pence.
Before this date, the British pound sterling (symbol "£" ...
, 15 February 1971. It was one of three new designs introduced all in
bronze
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...
and featuring ornamental birds on the reverse. The coin value was weakened by inflation and very few were produced beyond the initial run for 1971. It was removed from circulation and demonetised on 1 January 1987.
Overview
The main reason that halfpennies were issued was that when
shillings
The shilling is a historical coin, and the name of a unit of modern currencies formerly used in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, other British Commonwealth countries and Ireland, where they were generally equivalent to 12 pence or ...
were decimalised they were worth five new pence, so a
sixpence (half of a shilling) yielded a value of new pence.
Its dimensions and appearance were the same as the
British coin of the same denomination as the pounds of Britain and Ireland were pegged until 1979.
The coin was designed by the Irish artist
Gabriel Hayes
Gabriel Hayes (25 August 1909 – 28 October 1978) was an Irish artist born in Dublin. She was a sculptor and medallist who studied in Dublin, France, and Italy and was also an accomplished painter.
Early life and family
Mary Gabriel Hayes ...
and the design is adapted from the manuscript
Cologne Collectio Canonum
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...
(Cologne, Dombibliothek Cod. 213) in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
. The coin has a diameter of 1.7145 centimetres and mass of 1.782
gram
The gram (originally gramme; SI unit symbol g) is a Physical unit, unit of mass in the International System of Units (SI) equal to one one thousandth of a kilogram.
Originally defined as of 1795 as "the absolute weight of a volume of pure wate ...
s consisting of
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
,
tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal.
Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...
and
zinc
Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodi ...
.
The coin was worth of an Irish pound.
The 1985 version of this coin is particularly rare, and valuable to coin collectors – the vast majority of the 2.8 million were melted in 1987. The 1986 coin was only produced for the 1986 specimen sets and is also rare.
See also
*
St Patrick halfpenny
The St Patrick Halfpenny (British pre-decimal coin), halfpenny was a Milled coinage, milled coin minted in the 17th century in :England, :Ireland and :Wales. The reverse design shows David, King David kneeling playing a harp while gazing up at th ...
External links
Irish coinage website – catalogue – decimal halfpenny
{{Irish currency and coinage
halfpenny (decimal coin)
Half-cent coins