Coins of the pound sterling coins' designs. As of 31 March 2016, there were an estimated 30.14 billion coins circulating in the United Kingdom. The first decimal coins were circulated in 1968. These were the five pence (5p) and ten pence (10p), and had values of one shilling (1/-) and two shillings (2/-), respectively, under the pre-decimal £sd system. The decimal coins are minted in copper-plated steel (previously bronze), nickel-plated steel, cupronickel and nickel-brass. The two-pound coins, and, as from 28 March 2017 the new one-pound coins, are bimetallic. The coins are discs, except for the twenty pence and fifty pence pieces, both of which
Penny (Irish pre-decimal coin) Penny (Irish pre-decimal coin) The penny (1d) () coin was the third smallest denomination of the pre-decimal Irish pound, worth of a pound or of a shilling. To express an amount, penny was abbreviated to "d", e.g. 1d, from the Roman "denarius". It was introduced in 1928 to replace its British counterpart, used when all of Ireland was a constituent country of the United Kingdom. The last year of minting was 1968 and it ceased to be legal tender on 31 December 1971. The coin measured in diameter and weighed 9.45 grams. The bronze coin was made up of 95.5%