½ Penny - George III 3rd issue Proof (1799)
Circulating version: 1799 1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1799 |
| Denomination | ½ Penny |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Gold plated copper |
| Weight | 12.700g |
| Diameter | 30.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Grained |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Obv. artist | Conrad Heinrich Küchler |
| Rev. artist | Conrad Heinrich Küchler |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Laureate and draped bust of King George III facing right, legend around.
Seated figure of Britannia left, trident in left hand, olive branch in right, shield bearing the Union flag resting on left, legend around, date in exergue.
Proof Halfpenny market value
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AffiliateProof Halfpenny price history
Daily limit reachedProof Halfpenny value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDC | £240.00 🔒 | £180.00 | – | £140.00 – £240.00 | 0 | 4 | 03-09-2006 | |
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| PR-65 | £160.00 🔒 | £455.00 (2) | – | £100.00 – £750.00 | 0 | 16 | 05-12-2021 | |
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About the 1799 Halfpenny - George III 3rd issue – Proof
The 1799 Halfpenny - George III 3rd issue – Proof is a collector ½ penny coin, struck in gold plated copper. It weighs 12.7g and measures 30mm across. Reverse design: Seated figure of Britannia left, trident in left hand, olive branch in right, shield bearing the Union flag resting on left, legend around, date in exergue.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1799 Halfpenny - George III 3rd issue – Proof worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1799 Halfpenny - George III 3rd issue – Proof run from £180 to £455 across 2 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
What is a 1799 proof halfpenny?
It is a specimen striking of the 1799 Soho halfpenny made from the adopted Küchler dies but finished differently, usually in gilt copper, and not issued into circulation. The Ashmolean catalogues its gilt examples as patterns of the late Soho group, Peck 1243.
How many 1799 proof halfpennies were made?
No number is recorded in any reference found. The circulating 1799 halfpenny has a Coin Hunter figure of 42,481,116, but gilt and bronzed specimens were made separately and in much smaller, unrecorded numbers.
How do you tell a gilt proof from a gilded circulation coin?
Compare it with the Ashmolean's documented pieces: copper gilt, about 29.8 mm, 12.6 g to 12.8 g, with a centre-grained edge and sharp detail, some with K on the truncation. A worn coin later gilded will show softened detail beneath the gilding.
How is the 1799 Halfpenny - George III 3rd issue – Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 1799 1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue, not the coin found in change.
How do I identify the 1799 Halfpenny - George III 3rd issue – Proof?
Check the weight 12.7g and diameter 30mm and the metal (gold plated copper) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The 1799 halfpenny was struck by Matthew Boulton at the Soho Mint in Birmingham, from dies engraved by Conrad Heinrich Küchler. Alongside the circulating coins, the Soho Mint produced specimen strikings in gilt and bronzed copper from the adopted dies. The Ashmolean Museum, which was given a Soho collection in 2025, catalogues its gilt pieces as patterns of the late Soho group, Peck 1243, and Wildwinds describes Peck 1243 as a pattern of the design accepted for the issue.
No figure exists for these pieces. No striking number is recorded for them. The ordinary 1799 halfpenny, by contrast, has a Coin Hunter mintage of 42,481,116.
The design is that of the circulating coin. The obverse shows Küchler's laureate, draped bust of George III facing right with GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA REX, and on some of the Ashmolean's gilt examples a small K on the truncation. The reverse has Britannia seated left with BRITANNIA above and the date 1799 below.
The Ashmolean's gilt specimens measure about 29.8 mm and weigh 12.62 g and 12.78 g, with a centre-grained edge and the two sides upside down to each other. A bronzed example, BMC 1245, weighs 12.99 g.
Varieties and errors
The Ashmolean holds gilt and bronzed late Soho specimens of the adopted design, and also gilt early Soho pieces with a crowned bust of the king, BMC 1218 and 1221. The crowned bust was not used for the circulating coin, so those pieces belong with the 1799 pattern halfpenny.
Collecting notes
Tony Clayton notes that Boulton made later strikes of his coppers in a variety of metals, and that W.J. Taylor struck further pieces after buying the Soho dies, which he believes are told apart chiefly by marks of die corrosion. A gilt 1799 halfpenny should therefore be checked for die rust as well as for originality of the gilding. Sharp hair and drapery detail, a full centre-grained edge and a weight close to 12.7 g are what to look for.
The ordinary 1799 halfpenny is the circulating version.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Halfpenny, 1799 (late Soho), HCR152595, with HCR152599, HCR152602, HCR152571 and HCR152576, Heberden Coin Room, Ashmolean Museum (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Coins of George III (Peck 1243 and 1245), Wildwinds (read 12 Oct 2026)
- George III 1799-1807 Halfpenny, The Royal Mint (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Object search: halfpenny dated 1799 issued by George III (Culture Perth and Kinross), Culture Perth and Kinross, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
- The Penny, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- 1799 Coin Values, George III, Coin Hunter (read 12 Oct 2026)
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