SA 1/2 Pennies 1946 - 1953

1. Design: Featured King George VIs portrait (as South Africa was under British rule) and a ship on the reverse, symbolizing maritime trade.
2. Material: Made of bronze, composed of 95.5% copper, 3% tin, and 1.5% zinc.
3. Language: Had both English ("South Africa") and Afrikaans ("Suid-Afrika") inscriptions.
4. Change in 1952: After King George VI's death, Queen Elizabeth II took the throne in 1952, but her portrait was not yet featured on South African coins.
5. End of Production: The last issue of this coin was in 1953, and in 1961, the South African currency switched to the Rand system, making the ½d obsolete.

Mintage Figures:

• 1945: 9,114,000
• 1946: 4,753,000
• 1947: 4,833,000
• 1948: 5,049,000
• 1949: 9,259,000
• 1950: 9,078,000
• 1951: 9,326,000
• 1952: 10,586,000
• 1953: 4,446,000