United Kingdom 1 Penny 1915

United Kingdom · 1915 · 1 penny

Circulating coinCommonUNC · Uncirculated

€3.00estimate in UNC

47,310,800coins minted

N578 KM810 Sp4051

Circulating coin

Circulating coin of George V (1st effigy), which keeps the same Britannia design as the previous pennies, but with the new royal effigy.

The coin's story

The 1915 date has a large mintage, typical of the need for small change during the First World War. A coin issued during the First World War, a period of high demand for circulating coinage. There is a rare variety, the “Recessed Ear”, which concerns a small modification of the die. The 1915 “Recessed Ear” penny is considered one of the rarest varieties of the series.

ObverseThe King's Portrait

GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:B.M.

Design: The bare-headed bust of King George V facing left, by Bertram MacKennal.
Legend: GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP: (George V, by the grace of God, King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India).
Signature: B.M., at the base of the neck.

EMEngraved by Edgar Bertram MacKennal

ReverseBritannia

ONE PENNY 1915

Design: Helmeted Britannia seated right, holding a trident and a shield bearing the Union Jack, with a simplified lighthouse and ship in the background.
Denomination: ONE PENNY, at the top.
Date: 1915, in the exergue.

LWEngraved by Leonard Charles Wyon