Reverse of the Coin (United Kingdom) Quiz

Answer: Wren

Harold Wilson Parker designed the image the wren that was used on farthings minted from 1937 to 1956. The wren was one of the smallest birds found in Britain. At this time, farthings were made of bronze and had a smooth edge. Coins valued at a fraction of a farthing were made for use in various British colonies, though only the half farthing saw any significant use in Britain.

Through much of the middle ages, the silver penny was the smallest coin usually made in England. On those occasions where a smaller coin was needed, a knife or other sharp object would be used to divide the penny along the cross that usually was found on the reverse into halves or quarters (fourthings or farthings). The farthing was demonetized in 1960, several years before most other coins in this quiz.

Answer: The Golden Hind

The reverse of the halfpenny shows a ship meant to represent "The Golden Hind". "The Golden Hind", under the command of Sir Francis Drake, was the first English ship to successfully circumnavigate the globe (1577-1580). Thomas Humphrey Paget designed this reverse. Like many of Britain's coins, the halfpenny previously had an image of Britannia on the reverse.

Like the farthing, halfpennies were not commonly produced during the Middle Ages. For a few years in the seventeenth century, halfpennies were made of mostly tin. Like several other denominations, the halfpenny stopped being legal tender in 1969.

Answer: Britannia

Leonard Charles Wyon designed the reverse used on British pennies from 1937 to 1967 featuring a helmeted figure of Britannia. Previous Britannias had been crowned. Britannia is the national personification of Britain. She is a female warrior, often with a shield and trident. Relatively few pennies were minted in the 1950s because of a sufficient supply in circulation.

Answer: Thrift plant

The threepence coins of 1937-1967 were minted on nickel-brass planchets. Those made during the reign of George VI featured Wilson Parker's rendition of the thrift plant on the reverse. The thrift plant is a flowering plant that can be commonly found in salt marshes in Britain. During the reign of Elizabeth II, the threepence featured a Tudor era portcullis, designed by William Gardner.

During the period 1937-1945 threepence were also minted on 50% silver planchets (as were many larger denominations at the time). Threepence were officially demonetized in 1971.

Answer: Crowned initials

During the reign of George VI, the reverse of sixpence were minted with crowned initials (the exact design changed after India gained its independence). When Elizabeth II ascended the throne, the design changed to a floral pattern. Edgar Fuller and Cecil Thomas designed this image.

Sixpence coins were minted in 50% silver until 1946 and in cupro-nickel thereafter. They continued to be legal tender for several years (until 1980) after decimalization, with a new value of two-and-a-half pence.

Answer: A lion standing above a crown

During the period 1937-1967, the shilling was minted with both English and Scottish designs. In the reign of George VI, English shillings had a lion standing on a larger crown. Scottish shillings had a lion seated on a somewhat smaller crown. During the reign of Elizabeth II, the English and Scottish coat of arms differentiated the two types of coins.

Shillings remained legal tender in Britain until 1996. Their value during the period of decimalization was five pence.

Answer: Rose with a crown

During this period, the florin bore a rose with other plants on its reverse. The main difference between those issued on behalf of George VI bore a crown above the rose while those for Elizabeth II did not. George Kruger Gray designed the earlier reverse and Edgar Fuller and Cecil Thomas designed the latter.

The florin, which was first issued in 1848, represented an early attempt at placing British coinage on a decimal standard. From 1971 until its official demonetization in 1993, the florin circulated at a value of ten pence.

Answer: Royal Shield

The half crown featured a quartered shield with the arms of Britain on the reverse. With the coins of Elizabeth II, a crown sat above the shield. With the coins of George VI, the royal monogram to each side of the shield was crowned. The shields themselves were also shaped somewhat differently.

The half crown was actually demonetized in 1970 prior to the official Decimal Day in Britain in 1971.

Answer: A bust of Winston Churchilll

By the twentieth century, the crown was being issued irregularly and as likely to commemorate special events as for general use. A "wreathed" crown was used during the later reign of George V (1927-1936), with an exception of a special design for silver jubilee (25th anniversary) of George V. George VI had crowns issued for his coronation (1937) and the Festival of Britain (1951). Elizabeth II had crowns issued for her coronation (1953), a British exhibition in New York (1960), and the death of Winston Churchill (1965).

Pre-decimal crowns remain legal tender with an official value of 25 pence (although their collector or precious metal value is usually greater than that). Several additional commemorative coins have been issued as "crowns" after 1965, though they are outside of the scope of this quiz.

Answer: St. George and the Dragon

The sovereign is a gold coin (with slightly less than one-quarter ounce of gold) that was worth one pound. During much of its use as a circulating coin, the sovereign circulated with a reverse of St. George slaying the dragon. (St. George is the patron saint of England).

The start of World War I (1914) saw the end of significant circulation of gold coins in Britain, although they were minted until 1917 and for a single year in 1925 (the last year sovereigns were minted that were actually expected to see some circulation). Sovereigns minted after that date were not expected to circulate.