I've tried Wikipedia's entries for Canada, Ireland, UK, New Zealand and Australia, but couldn't find this coin. It's a bit bigger than the Canadian coin of the same year, but it has a slightly different color (alloy) and has the same QEII bust and words or abbreviations. The metal cage and chains on the reverse should be blatant. Maybe it's a former slave colony like Jamaica?
Okay, 1977 ! I'm blind , LOL . Here ya go :1 New Penny - Elizabeth II (2nd portrait) - United Kingdom – Numista
Here is the Canadian 1969 penny on the left, and the mystery 1977 on the right (after being cleaned up).
Thanks! And I should have guessed! I read all about the decimalization at Wikipedia, but didn't think "new penny" was necessary for the public to see the difference.
I an understand the confusion over this coin from the OP, some unscrupulous shysters on eBay try to claim it as extremely rare and list it for hundreds of pounds.
I'm not sure why you can't find it. It's from Great Brittain. Google 1977 New Penny and you will get plenty of results.
Britain never has put their country name on their coins or their postage stamps. That's the dead giveaway. You may see an abbreviation like "BR" or "BRIT" or "BRITT" or the word "BRITTANIA", but if you see the reigning monarch and no other country indication, it's from the UK. The abbreviations "D G REG F D" on the obverse stand for "Dei Gratia Regina Fidei Defensor", which translates to "Queen by the grace of God, defender of the faith". I saw many of these when I was in England in 1973. And as was posted earlier, DON'T clean them. Maybe a dip in pure acetone (NOT nail polish remover, but PURE acetone) but that's it.
Thanks for the info. I like how some coins have room for some of the words, and some coins just abbreviate them. I guess they need tiny sculpturs to make the letters smaller.
Sorry. But I'm predicting it'll be a dark brown oxide again in a few years. Currently, though, I'm making a rainbow of alloys. I need all the Canadian bronze and brass pennies (4% tin, 3% tin, etc).
Easy mistake. Start typing Brit and the spell checker recommends Brittany. And I think I've seen the double T elsewhere, like on old maps and in history books. Honestly, I don't think there are any T's in the word "Britain" or "Brittany". Have you heard them say it? They use a glottal stop, like when Americans say got.