The sixpence, sometimes known as a tanner or sixpenny bit, was a coin worth
one-fortieth of a pound sterling, or six pence. It was first minted in the reign
of Edward VI and circulated until 1980. Following decimalisation in 1971 it had
a value of 2½ new pence. The coin was made from silver from its introduction
in 1551 to 1947, and thereafter in cupronickel.
Prior to Decimal Day in 1971 there were 240 pence in one pound sterling. Twelve
pence made a shilling, and twenty shillings made a pound. Values less than
a pound were usually written in shillings and pence, e.g. 42 old pence
would be three shillings and six pence, often pronounced "three and six". Values
of less than a shilling were simply written in terms of pence, e.g. eight
pence would be 8d. History
The first sixpences were minted in 1551, during the reign of Edward VI. They came
about as a result of the debasement of silver coinage in the 1540s, in
particular the silver testoon, which fell in value from 12d to 6d. The
debased testoon was likely useful in everyday transactions, and it was
decided that new coinage should be introduced with the express denomination
of six pence. The testoon decreased in value because, unlike today, the value
of coins was determined by the market value of the metal they contained, and
during the reign of Henry VIII the purity of silver in coinage had fallen
significantly. 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,
one time 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. An alternative explanation for the nickname
is that it comes from Romany Gypsy word tawno meaning small thing.
The Royal Mint undertook a massive recoinage programme in 1816, with large
quantities of gold and silver coin being minted. Previous issues of silver
coinage had been irregular, and the previous issue, minted in 1787, did
little to alleviate the chronic shortage of silver coinage in general
circulation. New silver coinage was to be of .925 standard, with silver coins
to be minted at 66 shillings to the pound weight. Hence, newly minted
sixpences weighed 43.636 grains or 2.828 grams.
The Royal Mint debased the silver coinage in 1920 from 92.5% silver to 50%
silver. Sixpences of both alloys were minted that year. 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. The minting of silver coinage of the pound sterling ceased completely
in 1946 for similar reasons, exacerbated by the costs of the Second World War.
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 1820s, there were various attempts to decimalise the pound
sterling over the next century and a half. These attempts came to nothing
significant until the 1960s when the need for a currency more suited to
simple monetary calculations became pressing. The decision to decimalise was
announced in 1966, with the pound to be divided into 100, rather than 240,
pence. Decimal Day was set for 15 February 1971, and a whole range of new
coins were introduced. Sixpences continued to be legal tender with a
value of 2½ new pence until 30 June 1980.
Design Sixpences issued during the reign of
Edward VI feature a three-quarter portrait of the king on the obverse,
with a Tudor rose to the left, and the denomination VI to the right.
Surrounding the portrait is the inscription EDWARD VI D G AGL FRA Z HIB
REX, or similar, meaning "Edward VI, by the Grace of God, King of England,
France and Ireland". All sixpences minted under subsequent kings and queens
bear a similar inscription on the obverse identifying the monarch, with
the portrait usually flipping left-facing to right-facing or vice
versa between monarchs. The reverse features the escutcheon of the Royal
Arms of England, surrounded by the inscription POSVI DEVM ADIVTORE MEVM, or
a variant, meaning "I have made God my helper".
Starting with Elizabeth, the coins have the year of minting stamped on the
reverse. Unusually, the sixpences minted in 1561 and 1562 were milled, i.e.
produced by machine rather than by hand, with the press of the Frenchman Eloy
Mestrelle, who had been granted authority to mint coins by the queen.
Although of higher quality than hammered coins, Mestrelle's sixpences were more
expensive to produce, and machine-struck coinage ceased to be minted in 1572. The
coins remained in circulation for over a hundred years, but it took until the
reign of Charles II for milled coins of the pound sterling to be minted again.
Sixpences minted after the Tudor period no longer bear the Tudor rose on the
obverse. Early sixpences of James I feature the
alternative reverse inscription EXVRGAT DEVS DISSIPENTVR INIMICI, meaning "Let
God arise and His enemies be scattered", becoming QVAE DEVS CONIVNXIT NEMO
SEPARET, meaning "What God hath put together let no man put asunder" after
1604. Charles I sixpences follow the usual design, except that coins minted
after 1630 do not bear a date, and the reverse inscription reads CHRISTO
AVSPICE REGNO, meaning "I reign under the auspices of Christ".
During the beginning of Oliver Cromwell's Protectorship there was no
portrait minted on the obverse - instead there is a wreathed shield featuring St
George's Cross, surrounded by the inscription THE COMMONWEALTH OF ENGLAND.
The reverse features the combined arms of England and Ireland, surrounded by
the inscription GOD WITH VS. In 1656 the minting of milled coinage resumed, this
time with the press of the Frenchman Peter Blondeau. The obverse of
Cromwell's milled coinage features a portrait in the manner of a Roman
emperor, surrounded by an inscription similar to those on the coins of earlier
monarchs. With the exception of a handful of early
examples, Charles II sixpences continued to be machine-struck, and continued the
usual practice of having a portrait of the monarch on the obverse. The reverse
features a new design consisting of four shields arranged in a cross, with the
inscription detailing the style of the monarch split across both sides of the
coin. With minor changes, such as the device at the centre of the shields, and
the designs between the shields, this basic design continued to be minted
until the reign of George III. Those coins minted after the great
recoinage of 1816 bear the royal coat of arms on the reverse, surrounded by the
Garter, which bears the words HONI SOIT QUY MAL Y PENSE, Middle French for "Evil
be to him who evil thinks". George IV sixpences are similar to those of his
predecessor, but on some issues the Garter surrounding the shield is
replaced by floral emblems representing England, Scotland and Ireland, with the
inscription ANNO DATE below. William IV sixpences have a simpler
reverse, composed of the words SIX PENCE in the middle, with a crown above, the
date below, and a wreath surrounding. With the exception of a withdrawn 1887
issue, Victoria and Edward VII sixpences share this reverse. The reverse of the
1887 issue is broadly the same as the post-1816 George III coins. This reverse
is shared with the half-sovereign, and since the two are of a similar size, a
problem arose with people passing off sixpences as half-sovereigns. The
government agreed to remove the coin from circulation in November 1887 and
change the reverse. The reverse of George V sixpences minted
prior to 1920 are identical to those of his predecessor. Those minted between
1920 and 1926 feature an alternative reverse design composed of a crown
surmounted by a lion, and those minted after 1926 feature six oak sprigs
divided by six acorns. Only a handful of Edward VIII sixpences were ever minted,
and none of these entered circulation. These feature a reverse that is
different again, composed of six interlinked rings, with the inscription
SIXPENCE below and part of the monarch's style inscribed above. Unusually, the
profile of Edward VIII on coins faces the same way as that of his predecessor.
George VI sixpences feature two different reverses, both featuring a
crowned Royal Cypher. Those minted prior to 1949 feature a more angular font than
those minted later. These later coins do not bear the abbreviation IND IMP, since
the king was no longer Emperor of India. The final change in the design of the
sixpence came in 1953 when a new reverse was designed for the sixpences of
Elizabeth II. These coins feature a floral design by Edgar Fuller and Cecil
Thomas on the reverse, consisting of a rose, thistle, shamrock and leek,
representing the four Home Nations. Cultural significance
As the supply of silver threepence coins slowly disappeared, Royal Mint sixpences
replaced them as the coins put into Christmas puddings; children would hope
to be the lucky one to find the sixpence, no doubt also encouraging them
to eat more pudding. In Great Britain, there is a well-known
tradition of the bride wearing "Something old, something new, something
borrowed, something blue, and a silver sixpence in her shoe". A silver sixpence
in the bride's shoe is a traditional good luck wedding gesture, and
customarily it is the father of the bride who places the sixpence as a token
of him wishing her prosperity, love and happiness in her marriage.
They are also used as a good luck charm by Royal Air Force aircrew who have them
sewn behind their wings or brevets, a custom dating back to the Second World
War. In A Midsummer Night's Dream, we learn
that by his absence Bottom the Weaver will forgo sixpence a day for life from
the Duke. In Elizabethan times, six pence was roughly a day's wage for
rustic labour in the provinces. With it, one might buy two dinners, six
performances of Hamlet among the groundlings at the Globe Theatre, or an
unbound copy of the play itself. In his David Copperfield novela, 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!"
"I've Got Sixpence" a traditional song, runs:
I've got sixpence. Jolly, jolly sixpence.
I've got sixpence to last me all my life.
I've got twopence to spend and twopence to lend
And twopence to send home to my wife. An elaborated version was published in
1941, words and music by Elton Box & Desmond Cox.: the singer tells the tale
of spending twopence until he has "no-pence to send home to my wife – poor
wife." Brian May, guitarist from the British
band Queen, uses a sixpence instead of a normal plectrum to play his guitar.
Sixpence None the Richer is an American rock/pop band whose name was inspired by
a passage from the book Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis.
Penguin Books initially sold books in the 1930s through Woolworths and other
high street stores for sixpence. See also
Sixpence Sixpence
Touch pieces Notes
References External links
British Coins The History of the Sixpence