Die Varieties of the 1888 Half Penny

For the 1888 half penny there are six die varieties consisting of five obverse dies paired with two reverse dies. Differences can be located by checking for repunched letters and comparing the alignment of the letters of BRITANNIAR. For the reverse dies there are differences in the spacing in the date.

1888 Half Penny
Obverse	Reverse

Obverse 1:
- BRITANNIAR is aligned. The letters in VICTORIA are clear and strong.
Obverse 2:
- BRITANNIAR is aligned. The letter 'V' in VICTORIA is crooked.
Obverse 3:
- BRITANNIAR is aligned. There is a die crack in VICTORIA starting between the C and the T. As the die was used, the crack spread.
Obverse 4:
- The letter 'R' in BRITANNIAR is repunched. The letter 'R' in VICTORIA is slightly repunched.
Obverse 4S:
- Similar to 4 but with striations.
Obverse 5:
- BRITANNIAR is misaligned with a low T. The letters in VICTORIA are clear and strong.

Reverse A:
- The spacing between the eights in the date is 0.60 mm.
Reverse B:
- The spacing between the eights in the date is 0.39 mm.

For more close up images of this coin,
see under the microscope page.