Coins for collectors - Uncirculated British 1964 Half Penny / Halfpenny Coin / Great Britain

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A 1964 penny is not considered rare in general, as over 3 billion pennies were produced that year. However, there is one specific type of 1964 penny that is rare and highly valued by collectors. The ship featured on the reverse design, which first appeared on the 1937 halfpenny pattern of Edward VIII, is based on Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind, in which he became the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe between 1577 and 1580. A 1964-D penny in circulated condition is worth its face value of one cent. However, if you have a 1964-D penny in uncirculated condition or as a Special Mint Set (SMS) penny, it could be worth significantly more. The most valuable 1964 pennies are special strikes. Only a handful were produced, and they have a different finish to regular or proof pennies. Their appearance is described as “satin finish”, and it’s shinier than regular pennies but less glossy than proofs.

Mintmark: A 1964 SMS penny will have a “D” mintmark, indicating that it was produced at the Denver Mint. To preserve the actual patina of our coins, it is important to keep them in a stable and controlled place. That is why certified capsules are a wonderful option both for this and for knowing the grade as we will see below. A little history about the 1964 Lincoln cent

Penny 1964 - Australian Coins Price Guide and Values

There are also proof coins (list of U.S. Proof Sets with prices), of which almost 4 million were minted, but the rarest of this year’s pennies are undoubtedly the 1964 SMS penny as we will see below. List of most highly-priced 1964 penny errors Various Halfpenny coins were minted in unsuccessful attempts to resolve this shortage. These included the minting of some tin Halfpenny coins. The tin coins also had the advantage of supporting the flagging Cornish tin mines. However, they corroded too easily and were soon withdrawn. All other things being equal, the most valuable copper coins are those graded red. Next in line are red and brown, with brown being the least valuable. That large mintage means that it’s still very easy to find standard 1964 pennies. And the vast majority are worth only their face value.

The 1964 penny is what’s known as a Lincoln penny. These were first issued in 1909, and continue to be produced to this day. The old pre-decimal Penny, was two-hundred-and-fortieth of a pound, and was symbolised with a letter 'd'. This is derived from the Roman denarius coin. An old halfpenny, 1/2d, was therefore, 1/480th of a pound sterling. After 1971, the decimal halfpenny was two-hundredth of a pound, it is symbolised with 'p', as '1/2p'. Percy Metcalfe, CVO, RDI, was an English artist sculptor and designer. He is recognised mostly for his coin designs and his contribution to the Ashtead Pottery Collection.

Half Penny 1964 - British Coins Price Guide and Values

Bronze Pennies weighed just under 10g and measuring slightly under 31mm. The Halfpenny coins weighed 5.67g and measured 25.48mm. Until 1937 the Halfpenny design followed that of the Penny. After this date, on the reverse of half Penny coins, Britannia was replaced with an image of Sir Francis Drake's ship the Golden Hind. Early Pennies were pure silver, exchangeable for and worth their weight in the precious metal. The Halfpence coins were, likewise, half the weight and also equal in value to their weight in the precious metal content.

Coins minted in Denver have a mint mark on the obverse too – a small “D” situated just below the date. The Reverse of the 1964 Penny The portrait was the work of an artist named Victor David Brenner. It shows Lincoln’s head in profile facing e right. Brenner said he wanted to show Lincoln at his most engaging, and had imagined him reading to a child. Where is the mint mark on a 1964 penny? Easy, just below the date of coinage. How do I know the quality of my 1964 from Penny? In 1937 the reverse design changed from Britannia to be replaced by Sir Francis Drake's Golden Hind.Some coin historians believe that the portrait is based on a historic photograph of the President taken at the studio of Matthew Brady. Whether it was taken by Brady himself, or one of his assistants, is unknown. The main factor to consider is the quality, as in any other coin, as we will see later, but now let’s talk about the patina. As was usual for coin designers, Brenner signed his design. He’d originally intended to add his signature to the obverse, but was told this wasn’t acceptable. So instead, he placed his initials on the reverse – but that led to controversy too. In the early 1960s, there was a major coin shortage, presumably due to collectors’ hoarding of circulating silver coins. The U.S. Mint blamed coin collectors for the coin shortage.