Are sixpences worth anything

Money expert Annie Shaw answers a reader's question about the value of old British coins, are sixpences worth anything. You could try selling old coins at auction. You could either put them into a local auction or try selling them on an auction website such as ebay or eBid.

Queen Victoria Victoria's reign of 63 years was longer than any other British monarch, until Queen Elizabeth surpassed this mark in Known as the Victorian era, this was a period of industrial growth and expansion of the British Empire. All of the sixpences issued during Victoria's rule are sterling silver. A special sixpence coin was issued in to commemorate the event. Many of these sixpences were hand enameled on one side and used in pendants, pins and as broaches. Edward became King of Great Britain upon the death of his mother Victoria in

Are sixpences worth anything

It was first minted in , during the reign of Edward VI , and circulated until The coin was made from silver from its introduction in until , and thereafter in cupronickel. In , new decimal sixpences began being minted by the Royal Mint as commemorative issues to celebrate Christmas; these coins have been produced for each year since, and are minted in sterling silver. The first sixpences were minted in , during the reign of Edward VI. They came about as a result of the debasement of silver coinage in the s, in particular the silver testoon , which fell in value from 12d to 6d. Sixpences were minted during the reign of every British monarch after Edward VI, as well as during the Commonwealth , with a vast number of variations and alterations over the years. During the reign of George II a number of issues were designed by John Sigismund Tanner , who became Chief Engraver of the Royal Mint , and it has been suggested that this is the origin of the nickname "tanner", which was a popular name for the coin until decimalisation. The Royal Mint undertook a massive recoinage programme in , with large quantities of gold and silver coin being minted. Previous issues of silver coinage had been irregular, and the previous issue, minted in , had done little to alleviate the chronic shortage of silver coinage in general circulation. The Royal Mint debased the silver coinage in from This debasement was done because of the rising price of silver around the world, and followed the global trend of elimination, or reduction in purity, of the silver in coinage. New "silver" coinage was instead minted in cupronickel , an alloy of copper and nickel containing no silver at all. Beginning with Lord Wrottesley 's proposals in the s, there were various attempts to decimalise the pound sterling over the next century and a half. The decision to decimalise was announced in , with the pound to be divided into , rather than , pence.

Sterling coinage.

Sixpences are an old British coin, used on our island since the sixteenth century. In Britain, Sixpences are thought to be lucky. Traditionally a bride would place one of these coins in her shoe to guarantee a happy marriage. Brits also add Sixpences to their Christmas puddings. The lucky person who finds the coin in their slice was said to be in for a prosperous year ahead.

Before decimalisation in , pre-decimal coins such as the sixpence were still issued most years. Leading up to the decimalisation, however, the production lowered significantly which meant that was the last year of sixpence coins being issued into circulation. Many people believe that the sixpence was the last circulating sixpence, but they were only produced in proof finish for collectors and were not used in circulation. This is all well and good, but the real question is whether this makes the sixpence rare or not? A mintage of around million is incredibly large and means that the value of the coin today is very low. In fact, pretty much every auction listing for sixpences of this era is presented as large collections due to this fact. Unlike most coins that are in circulation today, it was not as common for the Royal Mint to issue collector versions back then. The sixpence ceased to be legal tender in and was withdrawn from circulation. This was a strategy to ease the transition period, and the value of the coin was translated to 2.

Are sixpences worth anything

United Kingdom. Values, images, and specifications for British. Sixpence coins continued in. The first circulation issue United. Kingdom era British sixpence. The United Kingdom sixpence obverse features the monarch. The reverse designs changed relatively frequently during this. George III.

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We'll provide a free, no-obligation quote. Buy Collectable Coins Online We offer a wide range of collectable and investment coins in pre-owned and brand-new condition. Royal cypher of Elizabeth II with plants and flowers. Silver is a great long-term investment with a lower entry point than gold. Retrieved 3 October Reviews We are always proud to show off our previous customers experiences with you and what they thought of our purchasing through with Britannia Coins. Modern coins should not be defaced but these Sixpences are no longer legal tender and cannot be exchanged at banks. Very happy with my purchase. Edward became King of Great Britain upon the death of his mother Victoria in We are always proud to show off our previous customers experiences with you and what they thought of our purchasing through with Britannia Coins.

Queen Victoria

Read our guide to selling gold. Valuable coins to look out for Do look out for pre sixpences in the collection: they are more valuable coins as they contain silver. Coins were of good quality. In David Copperfield , Charles Dickens describes how its protagonist dealt with a street carman about taking his travel box to a coach office in London: "I told him mine, which was down that street there, and which I wanted him to take to the Dover coach office for sixpence", then he replying: "Done with you for a tanner! Rare coins, such as a sixpence with the Victoria jubilee head, could be worth thousands of pounds. You will find lots of useful information about the value of old coins and links to other helpful sites and publications at Coins of the UK. You service was very efficient, delivered very fast, one I ordered the coin on Tuesday night it was delivered on Thursday morning. Some high street banks will give you the face value of the coins and they will send them back to the Royal Mint for melting down. The 'tails' side of silver Sixpences features three different designs. In Elizabethan times, six pence was roughly a day's wage for rustic labour in the provinces. Visit Our Wiltshire Showroom If you're looking for a bargain then why not visit our showroom? Retrieved 7 January