George VI Halfpennies 1937–1952 Varieties, Types and Specifications

Introduction

The George VI Halfpenny was struck from 1937 to 1952 in bronze and offers a compact and rewarding collecting series, with a design change in 1949, a production gap during the war years, and a handful of dates that present a real challenge in top grade. This page provides an overview of the George VI Halfpenny series, including the legend modification of 1949, key scarce dates, and year-by-year reference images.

The halfpenny retains the Golden Hind reverse that had been standard since 1937, but the obverse legend was modified in 1949 following Indian independence, when IND IMP was removed. The series ran through to 1952 — one year beyond the halfcrown, florin, and shilling — before closing with the reign.

1st Coinage (1937–1948) – Bronze halfpenny with the Golden Hind reverse and the full imperial obverse legend including IND IMP.
2nd Coinage (1949–1952) – IND IMP removed from the obverse legend; design otherwise unchanged.

Coinage Details

Design — The obverse carries the portrait of George VI by Thomas Humphrey Paget throughout the series. The reverse depicts the Golden Hind, the galleon associated with Sir Francis Drake, in a design first introduced on the halfpenny in 1937 under this reign. The reverse remained unchanged for the entire series.

1949 Legend Change — Following Indian independence, IND IMP (Indiae Imperator / Imperatrix) was removed from the royal style across all denominations from 1949. On the halfpenny, this required only a revision to the obverse legend spacing.

Key Dates — The 1938 halfpenny follows the characteristic "second date" pattern and tends to be scarcer in high grade than surrounding dates. The 1951 and 1952 dates, struck in the final years of the reign, are also worth noting for condition collectors — struck in smaller quantities and not always carefully preserved at the time.

Specifications

Years Issued	1937–1952
Diameter	25.4 mm
Weight	5.67 g
Edge	Plain
Alloy	Cu:95.5%, Sn:3%, Zn:1.5%
Obverse Designer	Thomas Humphrey Paget
Reverse Designer	Thomas Humphrey Paget

Year-by-Year Reference

1937

Reverse A

1937 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1938

Reverse B

1938 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1939

Reverse C

1939 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1940

1940 Halfpenny Reverse D

Obverse	Reverse D

	Scarcest L of HALF to the right of a tooth Left leg of 1st N of PENNY between teeth Left leg of 2nd N of PENNY between teeth P of PENNY between teeth A of HALF between teeth

1940 Halfpenny Reverse E

Obverse	Reverse E

	L of HALF between teeth Left leg of 1st N of PENNY between teeth Left leg of 2nd N of PENNY to the left of a tooth P of PENNY at a tooth A of HALF to the left of a tooth

1940 Halfpenny Reverse F

Obverse	Reverse F

	Commonest L of HALF at a tooth Left leg of 1st N of PENNY at a tooth Both legs of 2nd N of PENNY to the right of teeth P of PENNY between teeth A of HALF to the right of a tooth

1941

Reverse G

1941 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1942

Reverse H

1942 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1943

Reverse I

1943 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1944

Reverse J

1944 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1945

Reverse K

1945 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1946

Reverse L

1946 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1947

Reverse M

1947 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1948

Reverse N

1948 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1949

In common with all George VI denominations, and as a result of Indian independence, IND:IMP is omitted from 1949 onwards. Sometimes this required a design change, but on the Halfpenny, only the obverse inscription was altered.

Reverse O

1949 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1950

Reverse O

1950 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1951

Reverse O

1951 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

1952

Reverse P

1952 Halfpenny

Obverse	Reverse

Collectors Reference →