Great Britain 1861 Off Centre Halfpenny

NUMBER 1. To kick things off we have a British half penny from 1861. These bronze coins were introduced in 1860 to replace the larger and heavier copper issues. The farthings, halfpennies and pennies of this type are known as the "bun head" issue, and with numerous die variations are popular with collectors. They were issued until 1894, and in 1895 the "veiled head" or "old head" versions were issued, at which time the Brittannia reverse was also modified. This off centre strike also has a die crack running through the R of VICTORIA. The next few weeks or so will also feature some off centre mistrikes.