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One Penny Model - Anyone ever heard of these?
MrSpud
Posts: 4,498 ✭✭✭
I picked up this coin at the Whitman show in Atlanta on Saturday. I just thought it looked interesting. Only thing is I'm not really sure what it is. Anybody know? Thanks, in advance, for any responses and thanks for looking
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My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
<< <i>Thanks. Approximately when do you think these were made? >>
Best information I have is around 1848, but I can't confirm that in any books I have.
My OmniCoin Collection
My BankNoteBank Collection
Tom, formerly in Albuquerque, NM.
I just purchased one of these yesterday. It's got a silver center, but it's not a half penny.
Has any more information on these come out since this thread was last updated 6 years ago? Especially as to what year they were issued? Who exactly issued them? Anywhere I can go to read more about them?
Mine looks to have actually circulated, too.
Would these be one of the earlier bi-metallic issues? My oldest Bi-Metallic before this one was 1988, so that's a big jump.
Edit to add: I just found this article on them on Ebay posted by Canadian seller "superfleas"
"In the early 1840’s the British Royal Mint was coming to the conclusion that making and distributing large copper coins was no longer economical. The British copper penny was nearly the same diameter as a U.S. silver dollar, while the half penny was almost the size of a U.S. half dollar. While these large pennies were very impressive, they were as inconvenient to carry around as they were expensive to produce. When renowned medalist Joseph Moore (of the Birmingham firm of Allen and Moore) heard that the English government was tentatively discussing plans to replace the copper penny and half penny, he liked the idea so much that he created a design of his own for the new coins, and began circulating some examples locally in 1844. Slightly smaller in diameter than a U.S. quarter, the outer ring of Moore’s penny was made of copper, while the center was made of silver (or in some cases, brass). On one side of the inner ring was a youthful portrait of Victoria, and on the other, the numeral 1. The inscription on the outer ring on both sides, “ONE PENNY MODEL,” protected Moore from prosecution under the British counterfeit laws. He also designed and circulated a somewhat smaller bi-metallic half penny, with the
inscription “HALF PENNY MODEL” on both sides, and the numeral ½ on the reverse.
The new bi-metallic coins were small, light, and eye-catching. People in the Birmingham area clamored for more, prompting the Royal Mint to make an announcement that the coins were definitely not legal tender. Impressed by Moore’s work, the Mint offered him a job, but he turned it down. The model pennies and half pennies continued to circulate until 1860, when England economized by down-sizing its penny and using bronze instead of copper. Joseph Moore’s popular bi-metallic coins faded into history, but looking back, it’s apparent that he was a clever innovator who was simply too far ahead of his time. In 1982, Italy became the first country to mint bi-metallic coins for wide circulation. These coins proved to be extremely popular, and today over 100 countries produce bimetallic coins"
I found another listing for these saying that they are in Krause "Unusual World Coins" as KM#X9. I don't have that book yet to check it, though.
<< <i>The 1844 Victoria One Penny Model was a model coin issued by Birmingham medallist Joseph Moore (1817–1892) between 1844 and 1848, during a period in which the British Government were considering the notion of replacing the heavy copper coinage then in use. Their popularity with the public led to the Royal Mint to make a statement declaring that it was not responsible for their production.[1] A feature that sets them apart from other coins of their age is that they were bimetallic. The outer part was made of copper, and the inner part was originally composed of silver to make up for the small intrinsic value of copper — but in most cases 60 percent zinc and 40 percent nickel were used.[2] The design features an outer ring in which on the obverse and reverse the words 'ONE PENNY MODEL' are printed and an inner circle on the obverse of which a youthful portrait of Queen Victoria is shown with the words 'VICTORIA REG', and on the reverse is shown a numeral 1.[3] There are four known locations[clarification needed] for the 1844 model pennies; all the rest are Model Pennies which do not have 1844 on them >>
<< <i>...While these large pennies were very impressive, they were as inconvenient to carry around as they were expensive to produce... the outer ring of Moore’s penny was made of copper, while the center was made of silver (or in some cases, brass)... He also designed and circulated a somewhat smaller bi-metallic half penny, with the inscription “HALF PENNY MODEL” on both sides, and the numeral ½ on the reverse. >>
Moore also made "model crowns" on a similar principle; rather than have a large, unwieldy silver coin, have a smaller silver coin with a small gold plug in the centre to bring the intrinsic value up to nearer the face value. The models had brass plugs rather than gold, of course.
<< <i>I found another listing for these saying that they are in Krause "Unusual World Coins" as KM#X9. I don't have that book yet to check it, though. >>
The UWC book is included in the NumisMaster "Find My Coin" indexes. The Model Pennies are listed in UWC as numbers X9, X10 (with error spelling "PENNEY") and X11 (with date 1844 replacing the word "MODEL").
Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, "Meditations"
Apparently I have been awarded one DPOTD.