1972 1p Coin
The 1972 1p is a Royal Mint collector issue that was never released into circulation. Value band: small premium. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1972
- Issued as
- Collector packs and sets only
- Value band
- Small premium
- Composition
- Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1972 1p worth?
No 1972 1p coin was issued for circulation: the Royal Mint struck that date only for its annual collector sets (150,000 reported). A set coin that was spent can turn up in change, which is why 1972 is a date collectors look for. Expect a small premium, more for coins still in the original set.
What would make yours worth more:
- Full original red or bright color
- A coin from a sets-only year
- A recognized variety or genuine error
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1972 1p rare?
- It is scarcer than most 1p coins. It was never issued into circulation, so most examples are in collector packs.
- How many 1972 1p coins were made?
- None were made for circulation. The Mint sold this design only in packs and sets.
- What is the 1972 1p made of?
- Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin). It weighs 3.56 g and measures 20.32 mm.
- Is the 1972 1p still legal tender?
- Yes. The 1p is legal tender, though 1p and 2p coins together only have to be accepted for payments up to 20p.
The 1972 1p coin in context
The 1972 penny is the one most people never see in change, for a simple reason: none were issued for circulation. The giant 1971 output had flooded the system with new pennies. Banks and shops had all they needed, so the Royal Mint struck 1972 pennies only for the proof sets it sold to collectors. Anyone searching jars of old coppers for this date is usually disappointed. The 2p was missing from change that year as well, since it too was struck only for sets.
The data records 150,000 struck for those proof sets. That is a tiny number next to the hundreds of millions made in most years of the 1970s. It was the first sets-only penny of the decimal era, a pattern that came back much later in 2018 and 2019. If you do find a 1972 penny loose among other coins, it almost certainly came out of a broken set and has been spent or handled since. Circulation production resumed in 1973 with 280,196,000 coins. That makes the 1972 coin the first true collector date of the decimal penny.
How to recognize it
Apart from the date, the 1972 penny matches the 1971 coin. Arnold Machin's portrait of the Queen, with ELIZABETH II D G REG F D and the date, is on one side. Christopher Ironside's crowned portcullis with NEW PENNY and the numeral 1 is on the other. Because it was made only as a proof, it was struck with extra care from polished dies, so the flat fields have a mirror-like shine and the chains and lettering stand out crisply. It is bronze, 20.32 mm across and 3.56 g with a plain edge. Even a small fingerprint shows on a proof surface, which is why set coins should be handled by the rim only.
The other side carries Arnold Machin's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, used on UK coins from 1968 to 1984.
1972 1p by the numbers
No 1972 1p coins were struck for circulation; the published set figure is 150,000, so none were paid out by banks. For comparison, nearby circulation dates were 1971 1p (1.52 billion), 1973 1p (280.2 million), 1974 1p (330.9 million) and 1975 1p (221.6 million).
What to check on your 1972 1p
- Confirm the date. 1972 1p coins came only from collector sets, so a genuine one is often in very good condition.
- Try a magnet: bronze 1p coins do not stick to it. A coin that sticks is copper-plated steel from 1992 or later, so read the date again.
- Look at the surfaces under a light. Coins from sets have unbroken luster and color; change-worn coins are dull and scuffed.
- Never clean it. Rubbing or dipping strips the original color and leaves fine scratches.
This is the key date for anyone putting together a run of decimal pennies, though its rarity has limits. With 150,000 made, a 1972 proof is not hard to obtain. Most collectors buy a complete 1972 proof set to get one. A loose proof in good order carries a small premium. One that has been spent and worn loses most of its appeal, though it still makes an interesting find. Store any proof penny in a holder that keeps air and fingers away.
Bronze NEW PENNY with the Machin portrait (1971 to 1981)
The decimal penny arrived on 15 February 1971, Decimal Day, when Britain dropped the old pound of 240 pence and adopted a pound of 100 new ones. The 5p, 10p and 50p were already in people's pockets, so it was the bronze half penny, penny and 2p that made the switch feel real at the shop counter. To stop anyone mixing them up with the big old pennies, the new coins carried the word NEW. Every penny in this period reads NEW PENNY above a large numeral 1.
Christopher Ironside designed the reverse: a crowned portcullis with chains hanging from it, a royal badge long linked with Westminster. Arnold Machin's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II wearing a tiara fills the other side, with ELIZABETH II D G REG F D and the date around it. The coin is bronze, an alloy of 97 percent copper, 2.5 percent zinc and 0.5 percent tin. It measures 20.32 mm across, weighs 3.56 g and has a plain edge. A magnet will not pick it up.
Mintages ran into the hundreds of millions almost every year, so 1970s pennies still turn up in jars and old money tins all the time. The big exception is 1972, which was struck only for proof sets after the vast 1971 run had filled the banks. Apart from that date, worn coins are face value. What lifts one above the crowd is condition. A penny with bright original red luster, a crisp portcullis and sharp chain links is far harder to find than the date alone suggests, because most were spent for years. Brown, worn or cleaned coins are the normal find.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 penny |
| Issuer | Royal Mint |
| Year | 1972 |
| Circulation mintage | None (collector issue) |
| Composition | Bronze (97% copper, 2.5% zinc, 0.5% tin) |
| Weight | 3.56 g |
| Diameter | 20.32 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Portrait | Machin |
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I find a 1972 penny in my change?
None were made for circulation. The only 1972 pennies are the 150,000 struck for proof sets, so any you come across in change came from a broken set and was spent by mistake. Pennies for change resumed with the 1973 date.
Is a 1972 penny worth more than face value?
A clean proof carries a small premium and the full proof set is what most collectors want. A worn 1972 penny that has spent years in pockets is still an interesting date to own but adds little over face value.
Mintage figures: Penny (British decimal coin) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Mint figures. How we build these pages.