Irish twenty pence (decimal coin)
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| Twenty Pence Fiche Pingin |
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| Horse |
The twenty pence coin, which features the horse (an Irish hunter) that was on the half-crown coin that was produced for the Irish Free State in 1928, was introduced on October 30 1986. This is first Irish decimal coin that was of a different size to the corresponding decimal British coinage which had until this point remained the same.
The coin has a yellow-brass colour due to its composition which is 79% copper, 20% zinc and 1% nickel, it was determined that this composition would reduced production cost by 25% as against cupro-nickel then used. The edge of the coin has six bands, alternately finished smooth and grained. The mass of the coin is 8.47 grams, whilst the diameter is 2.71 centimetres. The coin was provided to relieve the expense of creating the lower value coins and also to assist the public and traders alike by creating higher value coin which could assist in the removal of some five and ten pence coins. In 1982 the then Minister for Finance, Ray MacSharry, announced that a twenty or twenty-five pence coin might be designed, in August 1984 the twenty pence was decided, the Arts Council recommended the horse design.
The coin was worth 1/5 of the Irish pound and was withdrawn in 2002 with the advent of the euro.
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| Coinage of Ireland |
| Coinage of the Republic of Ireland |
| Predecimal coins Farthing | Halfpenny | Penny | Three-Pence | Sixpence | Shilling | Florin | Half-Crown | Ten Shilling |
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| Decimal based coins Halfpenny | Penny | Two Pence | Five Pence | Ten Pence | Twenty Pence | Fifty Pence | One Pound |
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| See also: Currency Centre | Irish Banknotes | Irish Euro Coins | Irish Pound | Minister for Finance |
