Rare variety

Medium
Halfpenny

Literature
The Melbourne Mint also sent a coin or a die of its modified 1939 'Roo' Halfpenny to Calcutta which was used to model a new reverse for a late run of the 1942 I Halfpenny. Like the second 'Roo' reverse, the later 1942 I halfpennies had a single foot on the 'Y' of 'HALFPENNY' but now with the kangaroo shallower in definition and showing a lidded eye. In modelling this reverse, the denticles were made larger and were reduced in number from 106 to 104. It is considered that the additional changes constitute a new reverse type which was used on approximately 50,000 of the mintage of the 1942 I halfpennies and accounts for the entire mintage of the 1943 I Halfpenny. This die still existed in 1964 when it as re-polished and used to produce the 1942 I Proof Halfpenny re-strikes.