Halfpenny ( British decimal coin ) - wikipedia Halfpenny ( British decimal coin ) For the pre-decimal halfpenny coin, see Halfpenny ( British pre-decimal coin ). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( December 2015 ) Halfpenny United Kingdom Value 0.005 pound sterling Mass 1.78 g Diameter 17.14 mm Thickness 1 mm Edge plain Composition bronze Years of minting 1971 -- 1984 Obverse Design Queen Elizabeth II Designer Arnold Machin Design date 1971 Reverse Design St Edward 's Crown Designer Christopher Ironside Design date 1971 The British decimal halfpenny ( 1⁄2p ) coin was introduced in February 1971, at the time of decimalisation, and was worth one two - hundredth of a pound sterling. It was ignored in banking transactions, which were carried out in units of 1p. The decimal halfpenny had the same value as 1.2 pre-decimal pence, and was introduced to enable the prices of some low - value items to be more accurately translated to the new decimal currency. The possibility of setting prices including an odd half penny also made it more practical to retain the pre-decimal sixpence in circulation ( with a value of 21⁄2 new pence ) alongside the new decimal coinage. The halfpenny coin 's obverse featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II ; the reverse featured an image of St Edward 's Crown. It was minted in bronze ( like the 1p and 2p coins ). It was the smallest decimal coin in both size and value. The size was in proportion to the 1p and 2p coins. It soon became Britain 's least favourite coin. The Treasury had continued to argue that the halfpenny was important in the fight against inflation ( preventing prices from being rounded up ). The coin was demonetised and withdrawn from circulation in December 1984. Contents 1 Design 2 Mintages 3 Proposed quarter penny coin 4 See also 5 References 6 External links Design The reverse of the coin, designed by Christopher Ironside, was a representation of St Edward 's Crown, with the numeral `` 1⁄2 '' below the crown, and either NEW PENNY ( 1971 -- 1981 ) or HALF PENNY ( 1982 -- 1984 ) above the crown. Only one design of obverse was used on the halfpenny coin. The inscription around the portrait on the obverse was ELIZABETH II D.G. REG. F.D. 19xx, where 19xx was the year of minting. Both sides of the coin are encircled by dots, a common feature on coins, known as beading. As on all decimal coins produced before 1984, the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin appeared on the obverse ; in this portrait the Queen wears the ' Girls of Great Britain and Ireland ' Tiara. Mintages Annual number of coins released into general circulation ( excludes proof sets ) 1971 ~ 1,394,188,251 1972 ~ In proof sets only 1973 ~ 365,680,000 1974 ~ 365,448,000 1975 ~ 197,600,000 1976 ~ 412,172,000 1977 ~ 66,368,000 1978 ~ 59,532,000 1979 ~ 219,132,000 1980 ~ 202,788,000 1981 ~ 46,748,000 1982 ~ 190,752,000 1983 ~ 7,600,000 1984 ~ In proof sets only Proposed quarter penny coin A decimal quarter - penny coin ( to be struck in aluminium ) was also proposed ( which would have allowed the pre-decimal threepence to continue to circulate with a value of 1.25 new pence ), but was never produced. See also Halfpenny ( Irish decimal coin ) References ^ Jump up to : 1984 : Halfpenny coin to meet its maker, BBC News Jump up ^ Clayton, Tony. `` Decimal Coins of the UK - Bronze ''. Retrieved 2006 - 05 - 24. Jump up ^ `` 1p Coin ''. British Royal Mint. Archived from the original on 2006 - 04 - 27. Retrieved 2006 - 05 - 23. Jump up ^ Michael, Michael ( 2013 ). Standard Catalog of World Coins - 1901 - 2000. Krause Publications. p. 990. ISBN 1440229627. Jump up ^ `` The Change to Decimal Coinage '', Tony Clayton External links British Halfpenny pictures CoinWiki - Decimal Half Pennies Coins from United Kingdom : Half Penny Online Coin Club British coinage Decimal ​ ⁄ p 1p 2p 5p 10p 20p 50p £ 1 £ 2 Pre-decimal Quarter farthing ( ​ ⁄ d ) Third farthing ( ​ ⁄ d ) Half farthing ( ​ ⁄ d ) Farthing ( ​ ⁄ d ) Halfpenny ( ​ ⁄ d ) Penny ( 1d ) Three halfpence ( ​ 1 ⁄ d ) Twopence ( 2d ) Threepence ( 3d ) Fourpence ( 4d ) Sixpence ( 6d ) Shilling ( 1 / - ) Florin ( 2 / - ) Half crown ( 2 / 6d ) Double florin ( 4 / - ) Crown ( 5 / - ) Quarter guinea ( 5 / 3d ) Third guinea ( 7 / - ) Half sovereign ( 10 / - ) Half guinea ( 10 / 6d ) Sovereign ( £ 1 ) Guinea ( £ 1 / 1s ) Double sovereign ( £ 2 ) Two guineas ( £ 2 / 2s ) Five pound ( £ 5 ) Five guineas ( £ 5 / 5s ) Non-circulating Commemorative 25p £ 5 £ 20 £ 50 £ 100 Maundy money Bullion Britannia Quarter sovereign Half sovereign Sovereign Lunar The Queen 's Beasts Landmarks of Britain See also Pound sterling Coins of the pound sterling Banknotes of the pound sterling List of British banknotes and coins List of British currencies Scottish coinage Coins of Ireland List of people on coins of the United Kingdom Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Halfpenny_(British_decimal_coin)&oldid=797804174 '' Categories : Coins of the United Kingdom Currency introduced in 1971 Decimalisation Half - cent coins Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from December 2015 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Edit links This page was last edited on 29 August 2017, at 08 : 00. 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Question: when did the half penny stop being legal tender
Answer: December 1984