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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2830 Posts |
I stumbled over this in The Mercury (Hobart, Tas.), of Tuesday 19 February 1861, at page 3f, reprinting an article culled from a recently-received English magazine -
"LATEST FROM EUROPE. ...
A new "bronze" coinage has just been issued which is to replace our current coppers. The pieces - penny, halfpenny, and farthing -- are about one-third the size and one-half the weight of the old coins. They are neatly struck. The image of her Majesty is, however, unsatisfactory, as, except for the halfpenny, it bears no resemblance whatever to the Queen. Instead of the fine well-cut head on the old pennies, both head and shoulders are given, and the bust is small in comparison with the head. The head-dress is neither classical nor modern. On the reverse is dear old Britannia with her trident, a lighthouse, a ship in full sail, and a view of the sea, which had been omitted in our recent currency. The superscription round the Queen's head is "Victoria, D.G., Britt. Reg., F.D.;" and, on the reverse side, "One Penny," "Halfpenny," and "Farthing" respectively, with the date 1860."
I also found a much longer piece, reviewing the history of British copper coinage upto 1860. If anyone is interested, I can make it into a separate post.
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Posted 09/09/2011 05:02 am
