1856 Halfpenny – Victoria

Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. Victoria ruled for 64 years, a record only recently surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II.
 
Victoria's parents were Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathern, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She married Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who later became known as Prince Albert. Victoria had nine children, the eldest son succeeding her as Edward VII.


The halfpenny coin was introduced in 1672 and was minted until 1984 when inflation made it almost worthless. Worth half a penny (1/480th of One Pound), it was usually pronounced 'ape-knee'.

• Weight: (1860–1967) 5.67 g
• Diameter: (1860–1967) 25.48 mm
• Edge: Plain
• Composition
  • (1672–1860) Copper
  • (1860–1967) Bronze

From 1672 until 1936 the image of Britannia appeared on the reverse; from 1937 until decimalisation it featured the Golden Hind (the ship of Sir Francis Drake). The halfpenny ceased to be legal tender from 31 July 1969 and the decimal halfpenny was introduced in February 1971 (now called the 'half pence'). The coin was demonetised in December 1984.The Royal Mint is the designated place for the UK to mint coins. It dates back well over 1000 years and is a Government-owned company. 

Formed in the reign of Alfred the Great about the year 886, during the period 1279-1812 it was generally referred to as The Tower Mint as it was housed at the Tower of London. The Master of The Royal Mint has included famous figures such as Sir Isaac Newton.

Since 2010 it has operated as Royal Mint Ltd, a company owned by HM Treasury, under an exclusive contract to supply all coinage for the UK although it also produces medals and coins for other countries. It is currently located at Llantrisant, Wales.
The United Kingdom (UK) is the Union of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It is often refered to as Great Britain (GBR). It has a long, rich history.

The orignal coinage was Pounds, Shillings and Pence but since decimalisation on 15 February 1971, it is £1 = 100p, that is One Pound = 100 pence. The coinage of the UK is also a long history, the Royal Mint being established as long ago as 886AD when coins were hammered. Today there is perhaps 30 billion coins in circulation, and many (numismatic) collectors coins and sets are issued frequently in gold, silver and other metals.