In this year Britain celebrated the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest numismatic events of our lifetime - the changeover to decimal currency
It’s incredible to think that fifty years ago with one stroke the shilling of twelve pence and the pound of twenty shillings was gone and in its place was a ‘new’ pound of exactly one hundred ‘new’ pence.
To mark this year's milestone anniversary Heritage Coins is proud to bring you the opportunity to own a complete set of the original first-issue decimal coins and last-issue predecimal coins struck by the Royal Mint fifty years ago.
The Proof Coins of 1970 & 1971 together in one set —each coin is an authentic original struck more than 50 years ago
This set brings together the last-ever predecimal coins of Her Majesty’s reign issued in 1970 along with the first set of decimal coinage of 1971. The fourteen coins represent the very moment in history when Britain’s predecimal coinage ended and our decimal coinage began. Each coin is over fifty years old preserved in its proof collectors’ case. All fourteen of the coins are original Royal Mint issues struck to Proof quality the highest quality possible.Familiar and yet different — how many of these 50-year-old coins do you remember? The coins in this set are fondly remembered by so many people within Britain.
Predecimal currency inspired pride and affection in our country. Our old predecimal money was infinitely more interesting and colourful as was the language of money. Our coins even had a host of nicknames – from the beloved bob to the tanner, the joey, a ‘thruppeny bit’ and of course the “d” which had a dignity and a history as old as Rome. When the switch occurred fifty years ago we lost from our language many of the lovely words for our money which had been in use for many hundreds of years in return we got the ‘Pee’ which somehow never quite inspired the same sense of pride.
The predecimal penny was a very large coin - bigger than the present-day Fifty Pence with Britannia proudly emblazoned on it. Do you remember the old Britannia Penny? How about the twelve-sided ‘thruppenny’ bit – now considered to be our nation’s favourite.
Nine of the coins were never released into circulation!
With a decimal changeover date in February 1971 you might think the last predecimal coins that people used on a daily basis would have been dated 1970. In fact the last-ever Predecimal coins of 1970 were never released into circulation. The only way to add them to your collection is in this Proof set that you now have the opportunity to own. Pristine Proof coins of key dates in history are precisely those keenly sought-after by collectors trying to assemble full year date collections and naturally today are extremely difficult to obtain!
FREE with your set – an authentic reproduction of the original ‘Your Guide to Decimal Money’ — first issued in 1970
To oversee the introduction of the new decimal coinage in 1971 the government set up the Decimal Currency Board. As part of their many initiatives they organised the publication of ‘Your Guide to Decimal Money’ — a booklet distributed throughout the UK to introduce the new coinage. An authentic reproduction of this original booklet is included with your 50th Anniversary of Decimalisation Coin Set – entirely FREE OF CHARGE.
Beautifully preserved in original pristine condition This comprehensive set comprised of fourteen highest Proof quality coins is the ultimate limited-edition. A set of such importance will be subject to considerable demand from not just collectors but also those who remember how momentous the “D-Day” was!
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Item
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Year
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Reverse Design
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Half-Crown
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1970
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Shields of the Royal Arms by Edgar Fuller and Cecil Thomas
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Florin
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1970
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Double rose surrounded by leek, thistle, and shamrock by Edgar Fuller
and Cecil Thomas
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English Shilling
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1970
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Three lions (or leopards), symbol of England, on a shield by William
Gardner
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Scottish Shilling
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1970
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Lion rampant, symbol of Scotland, on a shield by William Gardner
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Sixpence
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1970
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Intertwined rose, thistle, shamrock, and leek by Edgar Fuller and
Cecil Thomas
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Threepence
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1970
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Tudor portcullis by William Gardner
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Penny
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1970
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Seated Britannia by Charles Coombes
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Half Penny
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1970
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Ship (The Golden Hind) sailing to left by Thomas Humphrey Paget
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Fifty Pence
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1971
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Seated Britannia by Christopher Ironside
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Ten Pence
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1971
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A lion passant guardant royally crowned, part of the crest of England,
by Christopher Ironside
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Five Pence
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1971
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A thistle royally crowned, representative of Scotland, by Christopher
Ironside
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Two Pence
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1971
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The Badge of the Prince of Wales, a plume of three ostrich feathers
within a coronet, by Christopher Ironside
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Penny
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1971
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A crowned portcullis with chains, an adaptation of the Badge of King
Henry VII, by Christopher Ironside
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Half Penny
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1971
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A representation of St Edward’s Crown by Christopher Ironside
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