½ Penny - George VI without 'IND:IMP' (1949–1952)

One row for each year the ½ Penny - George VI without 'IND:IMP' 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. 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 1949 Halfpenny - George VI without 'IND:IMP'

The 1949 Halfpenny - George VI without 'IND:IMP' is a circulating ½ penny coin issued from 1949 to 1952, struck in bronze. It weighs 5.67g and measures 25.5mm across. Reverse design: Three-masted ship sailing left, denomination above, date below.

Mintage figures are recorded for 4 years between 1949 and 1952, 97,044,000 coins in all. 1951 is the scarcest date, with 14,868,000 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1969), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

The Indian Independence Act of 1947 gave Parliament's assent to dropping Emperor of India from the King's style, and the Gazette records that the royal proclamation making the change was issued on 22 June 1948. On the halfpenny the new wording appears from 1949, with FIDEI DEF replacing F:D:IND:IMP at the end of the legend.

Production stayed high. Coin Hunter and Wikipedia agree on 24,744,000 for 1949, 24,153,600 for 1950 and 14,868,000 for 1951, the lowest date of the type. For 1952 they differ: Wikipedia gives 33,278,000 and Coin Hunter 33,784,000, and both make it the largest of the four years. Tony Clayton records that the King died on 6 February 1952, after which the ship continued on Elizabeth II's halfpennies.

The reverse is unchanged from 1937: Humphrey Paget's Golden Hind sailing left, HALF PENNY above and the date below. The Royal Mint Museum says Paget first designed it in 1936 with the half crown in mind, and that it served the halfpenny from 1937 until decimalisation. The 1937 proclamation describes it simply as the representation of a sailing ship, with a plain edge.

The obverse is Paget's bare-headed portrait of George VI facing left, now reading GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX FIDEI DEF.

Collecting notes

All four dates are common in circulated grades, and 1951 is the one to look out for in a date run. Proof sets were issued in 1950 and 1951 and each contains a halfpenny; CoinVarieties notes that 1951 is one of the few dates for which proofs are readily obtainable, while a 1949 proof is rare. Tony Clayton warns that the cardboard in the 1950 and 1951 cases can start corrosion.

No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this type. The halfpenny ceased to be legal tender from 31 July 1969. The earlier halfpenny with IND IMP covers 1937 to 1948.