Brit Tip #11

What are the dates I should watch for in modern British coinage?

Here, I am talking UNC grade specimens for each denomination for the years 1937-1970. All of the coins are easy to find in low grade.

Some of the tough dates are well known, others are not. Some of the so-called key dates are actually easy to find in true UNC (such as the 1951 penny) and are not listed below. Bold dates are not considered “scarce” by the pricing guides but are tough nonetheless.

Farthing – 1938

Halfpenny – 1946, 1955

Penny –1940, 1944, 1945, 1950

Silver Threepence – 1942, 1943 (these are relatively easy to locate in the US)

Brass Threepence – 1939, 1943, 1945, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1958

Sixpence – 1938, 1952

Shilling – 1937E, 1938E , 1938S, 1950E, 1950S, 1951E, 1951S, 1956E, 1956S, 1957S, 1958E, 1961S

Florin – 1938, 1939, 1949, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960

Halfcrown – 1937, 1938, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959

Crown – 1937

Of these, I reckon that the 1938 farthing, the 1950 penny, the 1951 threepence and the 1960 florin are the most difficult to find of the lot in lustrous “MS-63” or better. I’m sure we’ll have some fun with dissenting opinions.

Posted on CU 8/23/2003