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Temperance Half Penny (1840)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1840 |
| Denomination | ½ Penny |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Shape | Round |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Dots around the perimeter of the
Large dots around the perimeter. On the lower, left hand side, a spiral begins with one dot, then another, then 4 dots, followed by 4 larger dots and 4 larger dots, then a (" followed by CHILDREN TRAINED IN HABITS OF TEMPERANCE WILL NEVER BECOME DRUNKARDS. An arrow seems to continue the spiral encir
Temperance Half Penny market value
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Daily limit reachedTemperance Half Penny 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VF | £20.00 🔒 eBay | £20.00 (1) | – | £20.00 – £20.00 | 1 | 1 | 22-04-2026 | |
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About the 1840 Temperance Half Penny
The 1840 Temperance Half Penny is a collector ½ penny coin. Reverse design: Large dots around the perimeter. On the lower, left hand side, a spiral begins with one dot, then another, then 4 dots, followed by 4 larger dots and 4 larger dots, then a (" followed by CHILDREN TRAINED IN HABITS OF TEMPERANCE WILL NEVER BECOME DRUNKARDS. An arrow seems to continue the spiral encir.
Common questions
How much is the 1840 Temperance Half Penny worth?
The 1840 Temperance Half Penny has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £20.00 in VF, the median of its verified sales.
Is the 1840 temperance halfpenny a real coin?
No. It is a private temperance token, catalogued by museums as a halfpenny and dated 1840. It was not issued by the Royal Mint and was never legal tender; an Act of 1817 had already forbidden the manufacture of private token coinage.
What was the temperance movement?
A 19th-century campaign against drinking. Temperance societies began forming in Britain in the 1830s, and the stricter teetotal creed of total abstinence grew up around Joseph Livesey's circle in Preston. In 1847 the Band of Hope was founded in Leeds to keep working-class children away from drink.
How big and heavy is the temperance halfpenny?
The Fitzwilliam Museum measures one example at 28 mm. Recorded weights for three museum examples are 8.08 g (Museum Wales), 8.65 g and 8.93 g (both at the Fitzwilliam), all in copper or copper alloy.
Who issued the 1840 temperance halfpenny?
The issuer is not known. The Fitzwilliam Museum describes one example as a Temperance Hall halfpenny, but none of the museum records names the hall, the society behind it or the firm that struck the token.
History and design
The temperance movement grew quickly in Britain in the 1830s. Societies formed to campaign against drink, and the stricter creed of teetotalism, abstaining from beer and wine as well as spirits, grew up in Preston around Joseph Livesey, who opened the first temperance hotel there in 1833. This token, dated 1840 and catalogued as a halfpenny, comes from those early years of the campaign.
It is a private piece, not a coin. An Act of 1817 had forbidden the manufacture of private token coinage, so it had no standing as money. Its issuer is not recorded, and no mintage is known.
The Fitzwilliam Museum catalogues one example as a Temperance Hall halfpenny of 1840, struck in copper alloy and measuring 28 mm. Museum weights for three examples run from 8.08 g at Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales, to 8.65 g and 8.93 g at the Fitzwilliam. The engraver and maker are not recorded.
Varieties and errors
The Fitzwilliam's example CM.UK.1240-R has the name M.LUSHER counterstamped three times on the obverse. That is a later private mark, punched after striking, rather than a die variety, and it makes that piece individual.
Collecting notes
The Fitzwilliam files both of its examples under temperance tokens rather than trade tokens. Three are on public record: Museum Wales bought its example in 1930, and the Fitzwilliam holds one of its own and one lent by Selwyn College since 1937.
When checking an example, look for a clear date and legible lettering, since the message is the point of the piece. Counterstamps such as the Lusher name are worth recording, as they show the token was handled and marked after it was made.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Token: Temperance; Miscellaneous token; halfpenny (30.593/49), Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Tokens: CM.UK.1240-R (Temperance Hall, halfpenny, 1840), The Fitzwilliam Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- United Kingdom: CM.SL.73-R (Temperance halfpenny, 1840), The Fitzwilliam Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Temperance movement in the United Kingdom, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Penny (British pre-decimal coin), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
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