The
British decimal
Coin , produced by the
Royal Mint , was issued on
15 February 1971 , the day the British currency was
Decimalised .
1 In practice, it had been available from banks in bags of £1 for some weeks previously. The coin, known at first as a "new penny", was initially minted from
Bronze , but since 1992 it has been minted in
Copper -plated
Steel .
2
As this is less dense than bronze, post-1992 coins have been slightly thicker, as well as becoming
Magnetic . The coin weighs 3.56
Gram s and has a
Diameter of 20.32
Millimetre s.
3
One penny and
Two Pence coins are
Legal Tender only up to the sum of 20p; this means that it is permissible to refuse payment of sums greater than this amount in one and two pence coins in order to settle a
Debt .
4
The
Reverse of the coin, designed by
Christopher Ironside , is a crowned
Portcullis with chains (an
adaptation of the Badge of
Henry VII which is now the Badge of the
Palace Of Westminster ), with the numeral "1" written below the portcullis, and either
NEW PENNY (1971–1981) or
ONE PENNY (1982–present) above the portcullis.
To date, three different
Obverse s have been used. In all cases, the inscription is
ELIZABETH II D.G.REG.F.D. year. Both sides of the coin are encircled by dots.
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"10"
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Raphael_Maklouf" class="copylinks">Raphael Maklouf was used, in which the Queen wears the George IV State Diadem
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"10"
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"http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Ian_Rank-Broadley" class="copylinks">Ian Rank-Broadley has been used, again featuring the Tiara , with a signature-mark <small>IRB</small> below the portrait
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