Can you imagine what it would be like to be a youngin' and have one of these big honkers in your pocket in 1797? Mine has a bad alloy mix and I just noticed some flake in the date, lucky I'm not trying to sell! I wonder if you could buy a candy bar with one back in the day? Anyone have one?
Yes I have one... 41mm...Believe it or not, they weren't popular...hence mine is also 1797 Apparently, it could buy you a pound of bread (a big loaf). Or quite a lot of beer.
Here's mine along with a 1797 penny and a ha'pence from a later year since they made no ha'pence for that year. The two pence in copper was only made that year and are also called cartwheels in deference to the size and the thick rim. Mintage was around 720,000. BTW, they weighed 2 Avdp. ounces
If the halfpenny is a ha’pence then really the two pence should be a tuppence (And strictly speaking it’s a ha’penny).
Here's my only 1797 tuppence. I have a handful of the 1797 pennies, but all in pretty rough shape. I still can't resist buying then if I see them cheap, though.
This one also fits the title - 1838 Silver tuppence made for use in the colonies. This year and 1848 are often misidentified as Maundy coins but fr these two years they were also circulation coins. I do, of course also have the 1797 Cartwheel - one of my favourite coins as it always generates a good conversation. They survive in good condition muc more often than the penny of the same year, partly because it was a single year issue and so put aside soon after minting, and partly because they were used as weights for many years, being an accurate 2 ounces.
My example of the 1797 cartwheel Twopence. 41 mm., 56.1 grams. I purchased it from Karl Stephens Inc. in March 1986; it was sold to me as being in EF condition.
Two pence (moderns)...aging of the Queen... 1980 (2 New Pence)... 1991 (2 Pence)... 2005 (2 Pence)...