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1/2 Penny - Elizabeth II 1st portrait
| Issuer | South African Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1953-1960 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Reference(s) | KM#45, Hern#S74-81 |
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|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The VOC vessel Dromedaris, the flagship of Jan van Riebeeck's 1652 expedition to the Cape, depicted under sail and proceeding to the right. The bilingual legend SOUTH AFRICA and SUID-AFRIKA appears to either side of the ship respectively, with the date positioned above and the denomination 1/2D below. The designer's initials KG appear in the field. A beaded border frames the entire design. |
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| Reverse lettering | SOUTH AFRICA·1960·SUID-AFRIKA KG 1/2D |
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| Additional information |
South Africa's halfpenny series under Elizabeth I's first portrait spans the final years before the country left the Commonwealth entirely — the Republic was declared in 1961, ending the Crown coinage series abruptly. The 1960 date is therefore the last of the type, struck in the same year the all-white referendum approved republican status by a margin of less than one percent.
Copper halfpennies of this period circulated hard in South African urban markets and show it. The 1953 issue carries a small premium as a one-year coronation-year type.