The copper half penny was introduced during the Reign of Charles II (1660-1684) to supply demand for legal-tender small change. In spite of this, the Royal Mint was often reluctant to strike these coins because they were difficult to strike profitably.

By the time George III came to the throne in 1760, the Royal Mint's equipment was becoming decrepit and they become even more reluctant to mint low-value coins with their outdated and ill-used machinery. Between 1775 and 1799, no regal half-pennies were minted at all, despite an increasing need for coinage to pay workers wages due the industrial revolution taking place at the time. In the face of government indifference and Royal Mint incompetance, merchants and other 'entrepreneurs' resorted to supplying the need for small change with forgeries and unofficial tokens, which by the 1790s, outnumbered the regal issues then in circulation by a considerable margin.

The Half-Penny of 1799 was not struck by the Royal Mint, but under contract by Matthew Boulton at the Soho Mint in Birmingham. Further issues were produced in 1806 and 1807, but it was not until 1825, under the reign of George IV, that half-pennies issued by the Royal Mint started to be issued again on a reasonably regular basis, using minting equipment that had been purchased from Boulton's Soho Manufactory.

Obverse

The draped laureate bust of George III facing right.

"GEORGIUS DEI GRATIA REX"

Reverse

The reverse features Britannia, seated left, holding a branch and trident, holding out olive branch. The legend reads:-

"BRITANNIA 1799"

Specification

Metal	Base Metal
Date	1799
Issuing Monarch	George III (1760-1820)
Country	United Kingdom

Obverse Grade

Reverse Grade

Price

Availability

aVF

£55.00

Out Of Stock

Terms of Sale - Key Points

You can find more information on payment and identification requirements.

Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.

Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.

All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out.

If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.

Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.

View our full Terms & Conditions.

Delivery Information

We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.

Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.

Within the UK and BFPO - Next day fully insured and tracked. Delivery starts from £6.

Orders under £60

Within the UK and BFPO - Royal Mail 2nd Class. Your order will normally arrive within 2-3 working days. Delivery starts from £3.50.

If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.

For international delivery, please check with your local customs office for more information on custom duty and taxes.

Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.

Postal Insurance

We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products.

Orders under £1500 there is no additional fee.
Orders over £1500 we charge a fee in order to cover the increasing costs of insurance. For every £1500 we apply a £1 fee.

If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase.