Zambian 1 penny coin

This article is about the coin of the independent Republic of Zambia. For earlier penny coins used in Zambia, see Southern Rhodesian 1 penny coin and Rhodesia and Nyasaland 1 penny coin.

Penny
General information
Country	Zambia
Value	1⁄240 pound
Years	1966
Measurements and composition
Mass	6.4 g
Diameter	27 mm
Thickness	1.6 mm
Composition	bronze
Appearance
Shape	round with circular hole
Alignment	medallic
Edge	plain
Obverse	State title, year
Reverse	Value
v · d · e

The 1 penny coin is a former circulation piece of the Republic of Zambia that was issued in a single type in 1966. It was distributed by the Bank of Zambia and produced at the British Royal Mint in Tower Hill, London. The piece initially carried a face value of ¹⁄₂₄₀ of a Zambian pound prior to its eventual demonetization. During the brief period of transition from the pound to the decimalized Zambian kwacha in 1968, this value equated to ¹⁄₁₂₀ of a kwacha.

The coin is composed of a bronze alloy, weighs 6.4 grams, and measures 27 millimeters in diameter and 1.6 millimeters in thickness. It has medallic alignment and a plain edge. Unlike other contemporary Zambian coins, the piece is round with a 5 millimeter circular hole in the center. The rims of the piece, as well as the circumference of the central hole, are raised and undecorated.

Both sides of the piece were designed by Norman Sillman (1921–2013), an English sculptor and engraver for the Royal Mint. The state title "ZAMBIA" appears at the top of the obverse, curved in a clockwise direction above the central hole. It is accompanied by the Gregorian date of minting, "1966", which is printed in the opposite direction along the coin's bottom rim and separated from the aforementioned text by two small decorative four-pointed stars.

Displayed along the upper periphery of the reverse, extending clockwise from the left to right sides of the coin, is the face value "ONE PENNY". An abbreviated form of the value, "1d
 ." is written horizontally at the bottom of the piece, just below the hole. The "d", shortened for the Latin word denarii, has historically been used to express amounts in pence in pound-based currencies. Both renderings of the coin's face value are separated by two four-pointed stars similar to those on the obverse.

A total of approximately 7,200,060 examples of the piece were produced. Of these, 7,200,000 were minted as business strikes, and the remaining 60 were struck as proofs. Thirty of the proofs were included in collectors' sets sold by the Bank of Zambia.

References

• Numismatic Guaranty Corporation – Zambia Penny KM# 5 (1966)
• Catawiki – Zambia 1 penny 1966
• Numista – 1 Penny (1966) (English) (French)
• Colnect – 1 Penny (Zambia)
• Zambian pound on the English Wikipedia