The Story of the Twenty Pence

Obverse of 2008 Twenty Pence

Reverse of 2008 Twenty Pence - Emblems of Britain

Reverse of 2008 Twenty Pence - Shield of Arms

Not so New!
The first twenty pence issued after decimalisation was in 1982, although coins of a equivalent value, the "thistle crown", had been issued in 1604 under James I, and from 1887 to 1890 under Queen Victoria. There was also a "gold penny" of twenty pence issued under Henry III in 1257.

James I Thistle Crown
Under James I, there were a number of changes made to the coinage, particularly to the gold coin denominations.
James I of England was also James VI of Scotland. He had been James VI of Scotland since 1567, and acceded to the British Throne in 1603, thus unifying the English and Scottish thrones.
One of the new coins introduced in his reign was a thistle crown, a gold coin with a value of four shillings, equal to one fifth of a pound. The thistle crown was issued from about 1604 to1619.

Double Florins
In 1887, the double florin was introduced, with a value of four shillings. After the introduction of the florin in 1849, intended to be Britain's first decimal coin, it was perhaps a logical step to introduce this new coin. Logic lost the day however, as the double florin did not prove to be popular, possibly because it was too close in diameter to the crown, and after 1890 and only four years , this new denomination was discontinued.

Not New
When the twenty pence was first issued in 1982, decimalisation was essentially complete, eleven years after "D" day in 1971. The word "new" which had appeared on all the decimal coins was discontinued from 1982, so the twenty pence never was a "twenty new pence". Because of the new smaller and more popular coin sizes, and also because of the large gap between the tenpence and the fifty pence, the twenty pence has been a successful and popular coin. It has been minted in large quantities every year since its introduction.

Changing Portraits
As with all other circulation British coins, the portrait used on the twenty pence has changed in 1985, and again in 1998, each time to a more mature effigy.

Undated Twenty Pence Error Mule

• Undated Twenty Pence (20p) Coins Error Mule Worth £50?
  No, it's only bullshit, but all the UK media fell for it!

• Urgent Health Warning - Undated Twenty Pence Mule Coins A lighter look at the hysteria over twenty pence coins with no date.

• Undated Twenty Pence Mule Coins - Our Buy / Sell Advice We try to give impartial advice to finders, sellers, collectors, and buyers of the dateless error coins, and to would-be investors in them.

Twenty Pence Coins on eBay
There are many press reports about 20p coins worth £7,000 or £700 or £50; many based on purported sales on eBay...
Coming soon...

If you want to find the value of a coin you own, please take a look at our page I've Found An Old Coin, What's It Worth?