Just wondered if anyone knows the reason why the 1940 British Penny has such a high book value given it's quite normal mintage of 42, 284, 400?!

Were these minted down as part of the war effort, as other minatges around this year are not much higher and yet their values are proportionately much lower, according to my book at least (Collectors' Coins GB 2007)

Values VF £3 ;XF £7 ;Unc/Bunc £30/£35

There are no Pennies more valuable between 1926 and 1950

This might help:

Not really

Surely it explains a large mintage, as all pennies minted from 1940-3 were dated 1940...

Doesn't explain the value though with such a high mintage.

Agreed...

Perhaps not many were released into circulation and went to the smelters pot? I know one thing, when looking at significant accumulations of British pennies from before the 1960's - 1936 is one very very common date. It was a frozen date for obv reasons since GV died, and the BRM hadn't ramped up the EVII coinage yet, so that date was struck deep into 1937 and perhaps 1938.

Ed. VIII! (as you know )

Yes, with the 36 date even I have noticed this is rare and not just for the Pennies ??

That's kinda' just it, really... now I looked this up in Krause and it also shows the same thing, it is only worth a similar small amount in lower grades but hikes up suddenly in the VF-XF grades (as the price jumps up for a British Vf but only in Krause when is reaches the US XF).

Wonder what this is all about??

It seems to be what might happen if the coins were circulated a lot, i.e. many were produced implies a low value for common grades but for preserved conditions they are worth a lot more, possibly due to the shortage in the following years making people spend theirs instead of collecting them in pots? perhaps that is it, as it has already been mentioned that for the next three years there were none produced, or am I grasping this right??


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So they were making these in the following years too? Oh dear... are the true figures even higher then?!!

Eddie the eight
went out on a date
with a twice divorced lass
but he liked her &$$
whilst he was not troubled
the rumours doubled,
the family, the nation
what a damnation.
'Twas known all the whiles
in American his trials
but the British kept in the dark
'til it leaked on a lark.