Collectors Guide
George VI Penny
The George VI penny was struck from 1937 to 1952 and continues the long-standing Britannia reverse design used in British bronze coinage. As a widely circulated denomination, the series is common in lower grades but can present challenges in higher condition. This guide provides a complete reference to George VI pennies, including specifications, design details and collector insights.
Introduction
The George VI Penny was struck from 1937 to 1951 and is one of the most complex bronze denominations of the twentieth century, with three distinct obverses, four reverses, a production gap in the early 1940s, alloy changes, and a remarkable closing sequence of low-mintage issues. This page provides an overview of the George VI Penny series, including all identified obverse and reverse combinations, die-pairing frequencies, and year-by-year reference images.
Four reverses and three obverses combine to produce a range of die pairings across the series. The production hiatus from 1941 to 1943 — introduced to ease the pressure of excess small change in circulation and to encourage take-up of the new brass threepence — creates a natural break in the series, and the post-war issues bring their own complexities, including artificially darkened coins, a wartime alloy variant, and two scarcely issued final dates.
- Obverse 1 (1937 only) – Used exclusively in 1937; identifiable by the position of P and I of IMP relative to the border teeth, and a smaller dot after IMP.
- Obverse 2 (1937–1948) – Introduced partway through the 1937 production run; used for all issues from 1938 to 1948.
- Obverse 3 (1949–1951) – Introduced following the removal of IND:IMP from the legend; the abbreviated title F:D: replaced by the fuller FIDEI DEF.
- Reverses A, B, C, and C* (1937–1951) – Distinguished by tooth alignment, the presence of single or double exergue lines, and whether the waves touch or clear the exergue line.
Coinage Details
1937 — Three die combinations are recorded for the first year: 1+A, 1+B, and 2+B, in approximate proportions of 37%, 20%, and 43% respectively according to the V.R. Court penny survey published in Coin Monthly, August 1972. Reverse A — used only in 1937 — differs from Reverse B in tooth alignment, the length of the border teeth, and the presence of a single exergue line; Reverse B introduced shorter teeth and the single-line exergue that continued through to 1940.
Production Gap and Wartime Alloy (1941–1946) — Penny production was suspended between 1941 and 1943. When it resumed in 1944, a modified alloy with reduced tin content (Cu 97%, Sn 0.5%, Zn 2.5%) was used due to wartime metal shortages. Pennies struck in 1944, 1945, and 1946 using this alloy were artificially darkened by the Mint to prevent the copper from turning pink in circulation. Some coins escaped this treatment; they are identifiable in mint state but very difficult to distinguish from darkened examples in circulated grades.
1950 and 1951 — Production figures for 1950 and 1951 were extremely low, and both issues were distributed to the colonies rather than released domestically. The 1951 issue was sent substantially to Bermuda; quick-thinking collectors in Bermuda recognised the significance and repatriated large quantities to the UK, with the result that 1951 pennies are most commonly found in high grade.
Specifications
| Years Issued | 1937–1951 |
| Diameter | 30.8 mm |
| Weight | 9.45 g |
| Edge | Plain |
| Alloy |
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| Obverse Designer | Thomas Humphrey Paget |
| Reverse Designer | Charles Walter Coombes |
George VI Penny – Rarity
| Year | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1944 | 1946 | 1945 | 1947 | 1948 | 1949 | 1950 | 1951 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obv | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Rev | A | B | B | B | B | B | C | C | C* | C* | C*-dot | C* | C* | C* | C* | C* | C* |
| Freeman | C11 | C8 | C14 | C19 | C16 | C2 | C13 | C14 | C14 | C17 | Footnote | C18 | C16 | C17 | C7 | R3 | R4 |
Obverses
| 1 (1937 only) | 2 (1937–1948) | 3 (1949–1951) |
|---|---|---|
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■ P of IMP at a tooth ■ I of IMP to the left of a tooth ■ ':' before IMP nearly at a tooth ■ Dot after IMP is small |
■ P of IMP to the right of a tooth ■ I of IMP to the right of a tooth ■ ':' before IMP between teeth ■ Dot after IMP is slarger |
■ IND:IMP omitted from legend ■ F:D: replaced by FIDEI DEF. ■ lettering slightly larger ■ HP slightly larger |
Reverses
| A (1937 only) | B (1937–1940) | C (1940 & 1944) | C* (1944–1951) |
|---|---|---|---|
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■ Right leg of 2nd N in PENNY at a tooth ■ Sea level on right at a tooth ■ Longer teeth |
■ Right leg of both Ns in PENNY between teeth ■ Sea level on right slightly above a tooth ■ Shorter teeth ■ Single exergue line |
■ Double exergue line ■ Waves touch exergue line |
■ Waves above exergue line |
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George VI Penny Mintage Figures
| Mintage Numbers & Values |
|---|
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1937: 88,896,000 1938: 121,560,000 1939: 55,560,000 1940: 42,284,400 1944: 42,600,000 1945: 79,531,200 1946: 66,355,600 1947: 52,220,400 1948: 63,961,200 1949: 14,324,400 1950: 240,000 1951: 120,000 |
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| Coin Production & Circulation Notes |
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In order to reduce the excessive quantity of pennies in circulation, and to encourage the take up of the new brass threepence, penny production was suspended in 1940. Mass production was resumed in 1944, but the Mint had some difficulty balancing supply and demand for pennies in the years after the War. In May 1949, issue to the UK was halted, but coins dated 1949 were held in stock and continued to be released until 1956.
1950 and 1951 pennies were produced in very small quantities and were issued to the Colonies. Quick thinking speculators in Bermuda realised that the entire 1951 issue had been sent to them, and began shipping them home again to collectors - consequently, very few 1951 pennies entered circulation and most are still found in very high grade.
Year-by-Year Reference
1937
Abundance percentages are from the V.R.Court penny survey published in Coin Monthly, Aug 1972.
| 1937 Penny Varieties |
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| Obverse | Variety / % | Reverse |
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1+A 36.9% |
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1+B 20.2% |
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2+B 42.9% |
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1938
| 1938 Penny |
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| Obverse | Reverse |
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1939
| 1939 Penny |
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| Obverse | Reverse |
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1940
| 1940 Penny Varieties |
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| Obverse | Variety / % | Reverse |
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2+B Single exergue line 11.6% |
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2+C Double exergue line 88.4% |
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1944
Note the differing positions of the last 4 in the date, relative to the wave above.
| 1944 Penny Varieties |
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| Obverse | Variety / % | Reverse |
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2+C 83.4% |
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2+C* 16.6% |
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1945
| 1945 Penny |
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| Obverse | Reverse |
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1946
| 1946 Penny |
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| Obverse | Reverse |
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| 1946 Dot Penny (die flaw) |
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| Obverse | Note / Closeup | Reverse |
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Dot penny 
V.R.Court: 0.58% |
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1947
| 1947 Penny |
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| Obverse | Reverse |
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1948
| 1948 Penny |
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| Obverse | Reverse |
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1949
In common with all George VI denominations, and as a result of Indian independence, IND:IMP is omitted from 1949 onward. Sometimes this required a design change, but on the Penny, only the obverse inscription was altered.
| 1949 Penny |
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| Obverse | Reverse |
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1950
| 1950 Penny |
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| Obverse | Reverse |
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1951
| 1951 Penny |
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| Obverse | Reverse |
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