Wikipedia talk:Featured article candidates/1860s replacement of the British copper coinage/archive1
Beginning in 1860, Britain replaced its copper coinage with bronze pieces (shown). The existing copper coins (principally the penny, halfpenny and farthing) were seen as too large and heavy. The Master of the Mint, Thomas Graham, persuaded the Chancellor of the Exchequer, William Gladstone, to replace them. Gladstone secured authorising legislation and a vote of funds in parliament. Leonard Charles Wyon of the Royal Mint was tasked with rendering designs for the new coinage. Wyon produced an obverse for the new coins depicting Queen Victoria, who modelled for him. The reverse featured Britannia. With the aid of two outside firms, the Royal Mint struck enough of the new bronze coins that it began calling in the copper pieces in 1861, a process complete after 1877, though less than half, in terms of value, of the extant coppers were paid in. The new coins remained current until the run-up to decimalisation in 1971, except for the farthing, which was demonetised from 1 January 1961. (Full article...)
Start a discussion about improving the Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/1860s replacement of the British copper coinage/archive1 page
Talk pages are where people discuss how to make content on Wikipedia the best that it can be. You can use this page to start a discussion with others about how to improve the "Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/1860s replacement of the British copper coinage/archive1" page.
