The Irish one penny coin was designed by Percy Metcalfe and featured a hen and five chicks.
On the other side is the Irish harp, from 1928-1937 the date was split on either side of the with saorstát éireann
(irish freestate) and from 1938-1968 (the last year minted) éire was on the left of the harp and the
date on the right hand side.
The coin is 1.215 inches (30.9mm) in diameter - about the same size as the American half dollar, 1.9mm thick,
weighs 9.45 grams and is made of bronze which is 95.5% copper, 3% tin and 1.5% zinc
It was the third smallest denomination of the pre-decimal pound, there was 240 pennies in a pound.
It was first issued in 1928 and was used in circulation until 1971