Six Penny Bruise

 

                                                                          Sixpence 

A sixpence was a common silver coin in the UK before decimalisation (worth half a shilling), and its size provided an easy everyday reference for doctors, police, and courts when describing injuries.

Sixpence To Six Penny Bruise 

The “sixpenny bruise” is a historical forensic term, first used in the late 19th–early 20th century, describing a small, round bruise the size of a sixpence coin, often linked to fingertip pressure in assaults or strangulation.

When someone is throttled (manual strangulation with the hands), the fingertips compress the neck, leaving circular bruises that match the pressure points.

Snapshot 

The term comes from 19th–early 20th century forensic medicine in Britain.

 It refers to a circular bruise about the size of a sixpence coin (roughly 2 cm in diameter).

A sixpence was a common silver coin in the UK before decimalisation (worth half a shilling), and its size provided an easy everyday reference for doctors, police, and courts when describing injuries.

When someone is throttled (manual strangulation with the hands), the fingertips compress the neck, leaving circular bruises that match the pressure points.