Description

1965 obverse varieties:
Large beads: A in REGINA points to right end of a bead (common)
Small beads: A in REGINA points to left end of a bead

Reverse varieties:
Pointed 5: upper right end of 5 is angled 30° from the vertical
Blunt 5: upper right end of 5 is angled 15° from the vertical (common)

KM# 59.1: 98% copper, 0.5% tin, 1.5% zinc
KM# 59.2: 98% copper, 1.75% tin, 0.25% zinc

1979 coins feature a smaller effigy of the Queen than any of the previous years.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 1926–2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and of 14 other Commonwealth realms. Her reign of 70 years and seven months, which began on 6 February 1952, was the longest of any British monarch in history.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), as well as Head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the decolonisation of Africa, and the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities and withdrawal from the European Union. The number of her realms varied over time as territories have gained independence and some realms have become republics.

Times of personal significance have included the births and marriages of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022, respectively.