A Set of Five Original Coins

The pennies in this set – one from each of the war years, from the outbreak in 1914 to the Armistice of 1918 – are original, circulated coins. Taking us on a journey through this difficult time in Britain’s past, they are the coins that may have been found in the pocket of soldiers in the trenches or exchanged for rations by loved ones at home. Each penny in the set bears the portrait of George V by Sir Edgar Bertram Mackennal and features the iconic Britannia design on the reverse. These specially collated sets are accompanied by a booklet revealing insights into life in the war years and the importance of the penny in daily transactions.

The Life of the Wartime Penny

The value may have changed over the years, but the penny itself has been a part of British currency for longer than any other coin, first appearing under the rule of Anglo-Saxon kings. The United Kingdom faced some of its most challenging times in the war years of 1914 to 1918, not only on the front line but also on the home front, where doing without to make ends meet was the only way to ensure that ‘life went on’. The humble penny soon took on a new value to the nation, buying the essentials to keep a family going, from a pint of milk or a loaf of bread, to the stamp you needed to post a letter. Of special note is the 1918 penny; with The Royal Mint operating at full capacity, pennies at this time were struck by the Kings Norton and Heaton mints, and identified by the mintmark ‘KN’ or ‘H’.