½ Penny - George V smaller portrait (1928–1936)

One row for each year the ½ Penny - George V smaller portrait was struck. Prices are medians of verified sold listings matched to that year from the listing: circulated is worn condition up to Extremely Fine, uncirculated is About Uncirculated or better. A count in brackets means fewer than three sales behind the figure; a grey figure marked "type" is the median across every year, shown where that year has no sale of its own yet; years with no sales yet fill in as sales are recorded. Most types have been searched year by year only since October 2026, so later years are still filling in. Use the grade table below for a price by condition across all years.

About the 1928 Halfpenny - George V smaller portrait

The 1928 Halfpenny - George V smaller portrait is a circulating ½ penny coin issued from 1928 to 1936, struck in bronze. It weighs 5.67g and measures 25.5mm across. Reverse design: Seated figure of Britannia right, trident in left hand, shield bearing the Union flag in right, denomination around, date in exergue, sea behind.

Mintage figures are recorded for 9 years between 1928 and 1936, 143,186,400 coins in all. 1934 is the scarcest date, with 7,704,000 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1969), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

The smaller head of 1928 was the second and final change to George V's halfpenny portrait. Tony Clayton records that the obverse was modified in 1925 and then in 1928 the head was made noticeably smaller. On the penny, Wikipedia says the reduced portrait effectively eliminated the ghosting caused by the deep relief of the original head, and CoinVarieties describes the type as a version of the first halfpenny modified to reduce weak strikes.

Halfpennies were struck every year from 1928 to 1936, totalling 143,186,400 in Coin Hunter's figures. Output fell from 25,680,000 in 1929 to 7,704,000 in 1934, the lowest date, before climbing to 23,008,800 in 1936. Unlike the penny, the halfpenny was struck normally in 1933, with 10,560,000 made.

The obverse carries Bertram Mackennal's portrait of the King in its smaller form, facing left, with GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP: around it and the initials B M on the truncation. The reverse is the seated Britannia on a rock in the sea, holding shield and trident, with HALF PENNY around and the date below, the design that goes back to Leonard Charles Wyon. The edge is plain.

This was the last Britannia halfpenny. Edward VIII's pattern and George VI's halfpennies used a ship, the Golden Hind.

Collecting notes

CoinVarieties calls every date common, and Clayton finds no scarce dates in the George V halfpennies. Proofs of individual years exist, recorded by CoinVarieties for 1933 and 1936, but are seldom seen. No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this type.

The halfpenny ceased to be legal tender from 31 July 1969. The modified effigy halfpenny preceded this type and the George VI Golden Hind halfpenny followed it.