1797 British Britain England Large 2 Pence Britannia

Description

Country United Kingdom
King George III (1760-1820)
Type Standard circulation coin
Year 1797
Value 2 Pence = 1/6 Shilling (1/120)
Currency Pound sterling (1158-1970)
Composition Copper
Weight 56.7 g
Diameter 41 mm
Thickness 5 mm
Shape Round
Orientation Coin alignment ↑↓
Demonetized 12-31-1869
The largest regal coin to circulate in Britain, these pieces were produced by Matthew Bouton using a steam powered press at the Soho mint in Birmingham in 1797.
From 1770 until the end of the 18th century the practice of melting down the official copper coins and making lightweight forgeries had become so widespread that it prompted industrialist Matthew Boulton to offer a potential solution. He proposed that each coin should actually be made to contain its value in copper (two ounces avoirdupois), that the quality should be improved by using a retaining collar during striking (to give a perfectly round coin) and by designing the coins with thick raised borders to prevent them wearing so easily.
This type was struck in copper by Boulton for several years after 1797 with no change in date, along with some later strikes in a variety of metals. Further restrikes were produced by W.J. Taylor when he bought the dies in 1848; the chief way these later issues can be distinguished is by marks resulting from die corrosion.