Half a Thought

A miserable day today. The Red Kites were out and about but I wasn't so I've still not got a decent picture of them yet. Instead I've gone for an in doors macro shot for the day.

Today's blip is a 1966 pre-decimal ship half penny. For some silly reason the Royal Mint stamped it out in 1966 then withdrew it in 1969 in preparation for decimalisation. That probably explains why it's in such good condition - I only rinsed it in tap water and buffed it with a soft cloth.

Apparently these coins were for hundreds of years made from silver, but eventually inflation overtook them and they made them out of cheaper stuff, bronze in this case (5.67 g and 24.4 mm diameter). It's a fraction smaller than the decimal 2 pence coin (7.12 g and 25.9 mm).