Irish Lucky Penny

Description

Purchase this rare pre-decimal Irish Lucky Penny, framed in a traditional wooden frame, with celtic design and Irish poem. Give the wonderful gift of luck!

Hand made by us at Newry Journal (as you can probably tell from the photos)!

Irish History Of The Coin

Previous to 1972, Irish pennies were large, mostly copper coins. In fact, the coin measured 1.215 inches (30.9 mm) in diameter and weighed 9.45 grams. The bronze coin was made up of 95.5% copper, 3% tin and 1.5% zinc. They were also heavy, so loose change put a hefty strain on pockets and purses of the men and women. So much so that it was common place to spend the pennies as quickly as possible in the local pub. Even a modest salary for the times (of around ten pounds per week) if paid in pennies, would be a total of 2,400 pennies and weigh five kilograms (over 11 pounds).

The image shows why these pre-decimal pennies became known as ‘hen’ pennies. These pennies with the image of a hen and chickens on one side and the Irish harp on the other are now extremely rare and have become collector items. Their rarity will ensure they only increase in value making them a true good luck token.

So, if you want to own an important piece of Irish history, or give the gift of luck to a friend or loved one then get one for yourself today!

Unique Gift From Ireland

While anyone can buy something from the souvenir shops around Ireland, no doubt those products are made in bulk in China. This gift is a real, genuine coin that was Irish currency. Passed from person to person, in exchange for who-knows what. Not only is this a symbol of Irish national history, but it’s a memento of Irish personal histories too. A symbol of times gone by, when Ireland had it’s own unique currency, complete with imprinted Irish language, gaelic. And we hand-make these frames and inset the coin right here in our family home in Newry, which helps us to cover the running costs of this website – a great community resource.