Hapenny

Hapenny, also spelled hapenny, is the historical term for the halfpenny, a low-denomination coin used in various British and Irish monetary systems. The spelling hapenny appears in many older texts and is commonly found in discussions of pre-decimal currency.

In the traditional systems of the United Kingdom and Ireland, the halfpenny was valued at one-half of a penny. In pre-decimal British currency, a pound contained 240 pence, making a halfpenny worth 1/480 of a pound. The coin was typically struck in copper or bronze and circulated as small change alongside pennies and other small denominations. Similar halfpenny coins appeared in Ireland and in some British colonies, with local mints issuing coins of comparable value and composition.

Over time, as monetary systems moved away from copper coins and toward decimalization, the practical use of hapennies declined. In many jurisdictions, the halfpenny was eventually withdrawn from circulation and ceased to be produced, though the term remains in historical and numismatic contexts. After withdrawal, the hapenny is encountered primarily in old price lists, accounting records, and collectable coins rather than in everyday commerce.

The hapenny thus stands as a relic of earlier monetary practice, reflecting the long history of small-denomination coins in the British Isles. In modern contexts, it is mainly of interest to historians, economists, and coin collectors studying pre-decimal economies.