Reigning from the start to the end of the Second World War as well as the aftermath and its effect on the United Kingdom, George VI was monarch throughout an important period of world history. He had one official coinage portrait during his reign, which was designed by Humphrey Paget who had also designed Edward VIII’s unused coinage portrait.

Originally based on the Roman denarius, which is why it was denoted by a ‘d’ when referring to pounds, shilling and pence, the penny has a history dating back to the Anglo-Saxons. This was a great survivor of decimalisation and the reverse of the George VI pennies feature Britannia.