6 Pence - Elizabeth II 1st portrait

The sixpence survived the 1947 switch from silver to copper-nickel almost without public notice — by then most people had stopped checking. This particular run spans the years immediately following the coronation through to the eve of decimalization, a period during which the coin's purchasing power eroded steadily but its social role held firm: wedding sixpences, Christmas puddings, children's pocket money. Production continued at high volumes throughout, with no meaningful mintage gaps.

The series ends in 1967 because the decision to decimalize was effectively locked in by the Halsbury Committee report of 1963. No sixpence was struck for circulation in 1968 or 1969, though the coin survived decimalization itself — retaining legal tender status as 2½ new pence until 1980.