Sixpence (British coin)

Sixpence

United Kingdom
Value	£0.025 6d (until 1971) 21⁄2p (1971–1980)
Mass	(1816–1970) 2.83 g
Diameter	19.41 mm
Edge	Milled
Composition	(1551–1816) Silver (1816–1920) 92.5% Ag (1920–1946) 50% Ag (1947–1970) Cupronickel
Years of minting	1551–1970
Obverse
Design	Profile of the monarch (Elizabeth II design shown)
Designer	Mary Gillick
Design date	1953
Reverse
Design	Various (floral design shown)
Designer	Edgar Fuller and Cecil Thomas
Design date	1947

The British sixpence (/ˈsɪkspəns/) piece, sometimes known as a tanner or sixpenny bit, was a denomination of sterling coinage worth 1⁄40 of one pound or half of one shilling. It was first minted in 1551, during the reign of Edward VI, and circulated until 1980. The coin was made from silver from its introduction in 1551 until 1947, and thereafter in cupronickel.

Before Decimal Day in 1971, sterling used the Carolingian monetary system (£sd), under which the largest unit was a pound (£), divisible into 20 shillings (s), each worth 12 pence (d), the value of two pre-decimal sixpence coins. Following decimalisation, the old sixpence had a value of 2+1⁄2 new pence (£0.025).

In 2016, new decimal sixpences (face value £0.06) began being minted by the Royal Mint as commemorative issues; these coins have been produced for each year since then, and are minted in sterling silver. They are not intended for circulation as tender, but just like older mintages, these coins continue to have uses in especially Christmas and wedding traditions; cf. § Cultural significance, below.