Irish penny (decimal coin)
Encyclopedia
The decimal one penny (1p) coin was the second smallest denomination of the Irish pound
. It was first issued when the Irish currency was decimalised on Decimal Day
, 15 February 1971. It was the second of three new designs introduced all in bronze
, the others being a half-penny and a two pence coin. All featured ornamental birds designed by Irish artist Gabriel Hayes
on the reverse.
The coin originally had a diameter of 2.032 centimetres and mass of 3.564 gram
s consisting of copper
, tin
and zinc
. This was identical to the British decimal penny as the two countries' pounds were pegged until 1979.
The coin's official designation was "new penny" and this was changed in 1985 to "penny". In 1990 the decision was taken to produce the coin on a copper-plated steel
base as the bronze had become too expensive. The steel base coins are magnetic.
The coin was designed by the Irish artist Gabriel Hayes
and the design is adapted from the Book of Kells
held in Trinity College, Dublin
.
The coin was 1/100 of an Irish pound and was withdrawn with the arrival of the euro
in Ireland (introduced in 1999 jointly, and from 2002 on its own).
Irish pound
The Irish pound was the currency of Ireland until 2002. Its ISO 4217 code was IEP, and the usual notation was the prefix £...
. It was first issued when the Irish currency was decimalised on Decimal Day
Decimal Day
Decimal Day was the day the United Kingdom and Ireland decimalised their currencies.-Old system:Under the old currency of pounds, shillings and pence, the pound was made up of 240 pence , with 12 pence in a shilling and 20 shillings in a...
, 15 February 1971. It was the second of three new designs introduced all in bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
, the others being a half-penny and a two pence coin. All featured ornamental birds designed by Irish artist Gabriel Hayes
Gabriel Hayes
Gabriel Hayes was an Irish artist born in Monasterevin, County Kildare. She was a sculptor who studied in Dublin, France, and Italy. Hayes was also an accomplished artist with one of her works "The Cork Bowler" selling at Christies in London in May 2000 for 23,500 stg....
on the reverse.
The coin originally had a diameter of 2.032 centimetres and mass of 3.564 gram
Gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
s consisting of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
and zinc
Zinc
Zinc , or spelter , is a metallic chemical element; it has the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is the first element in group 12 of the periodic table. Zinc is, in some respects, chemically similar to magnesium, because its ion is of similar size and its only common oxidation state is +2...
. This was identical to the British decimal penny as the two countries' pounds were pegged until 1979.
The coin's official designation was "new penny" and this was changed in 1985 to "penny". In 1990 the decision was taken to produce the coin on a copper-plated steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
base as the bronze had become too expensive. The steel base coins are magnetic.
The coin was designed by the Irish artist Gabriel Hayes
Gabriel Hayes
Gabriel Hayes was an Irish artist born in Monasterevin, County Kildare. She was a sculptor who studied in Dublin, France, and Italy. Hayes was also an accomplished artist with one of her works "The Cork Bowler" selling at Christies in London in May 2000 for 23,500 stg....
and the design is adapted from the Book of Kells
Book of Kells
The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created by Celtic monks ca. 800 or slightly earlier...
held in Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.
The coin was 1/100 of an Irish pound and was withdrawn with the arrival of the euro
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
in Ireland (introduced in 1999 jointly, and from 2002 on its own).