The English Coin Company has many coins for sale. We have old coins and modern decimal coins for sale. We have a range of proof sets and silver proof coins aswell Farthing. The farthing was the smallest coin until 1960, except for a 27 year period in the mid-19th Century under Queen Victoria, when there was a half farthing. Even the half farthing never dipped below a.
The farthing was a coin of the Kingdom of England. It was worth one quarter of a penny, or 1⁄960 of a pound sterling. The word 'farthing' is derived from the Anglo-Saxonfeorthing. It means a fourthling or fourth part.[1] The Anglo-Saxon word was probably derived from the Old Norse, fjorthungr meaning a 'quarter'.
Such coins were first minted in England in silver in the 13th century. They were used until the Kingdom of England was merged into the new Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. Early farthings were silver. The farthing was small (only 10 millimeters in diameter) and very light (slightly more than 0.4 gram). Surviving examples are rare. The first copper farthings were issued during the reign of King James I. In the late 17th century the English farthing was also minted in tin.
In 1953, the farthing's low value forced its last minting. A Londoner complained of abusive vendors when he tried to offer the coin for purchases. The coin ceased to be legal tender on 1 January 1961.[2]
References[change | change source]
- ↑Spink Numismatic Circular, March 1983, Volume XCI, No. 2, p.39
- ↑'Save the penny or leave the penny?'. CBC. 6 August 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-09.
('Coins of the UK')
by Tony Clayton
Fractional farthings << :>> The Halfpenny
History of the Farthing
Pictures of Farthings
Search by reign
It is stressed that the following prices are a guide to retail prices only, and are in UK pounds. They represent what you might have to pay a dealer,rather than what you might be able to sell them for.
I can take no personal responsibility for their accuracy, although every efforthas been made to ensure that they have been copied correctly.
The information has generally been taken from the UK monthly magazineCoin News,and is reproduced by the kind permission of
Token Publishing Ltd, 40 Southernhay East, Exeter, EX1 1PE
Condition Grades
The headings F, VF, EF and Unc refer to the condition grades of the coins. A guide toevaluating grades is found on my UK Coin Values Index page.
Proof coins relatively often found are listed, but the absence of a mention does not mean thata proof of that year does not exist.
Silver Farthings
No values of these coins are available
Copper Farthings
No values of the pre-Commonwealth coins are available
Farthing Coin
Charles II
Tin Farthings
James II
William & Mary
Copper Farthings (again)
William III
Anne
George I
George II
George III
George IV
William IV
Victoria
ss: no serifs on 1 in date
dd: D over sideways D in DEI
re: R over E in VICTORIA
Please note that the rare copper 1860 farthing does NOT have the denomination on it,whereas the much more common bronze version does.
Bronze Farthings
Young (Bun) Head
t: toothed border
b: beaded border
m: mule of above two borders
H: Heaton Mint (H mintmark under date)
g: G over sideways G
y: young (bun) head
Old (Veiled) Head
o: old (veiled) head
s: bright and shiny (1895-1897)
d: darkened artificially (1897-1918)
Edward VII
All Edward VII farthings were darkened artificially to avoid confusion with half sovereigns
Farthing Coin 1906
George V
Type 1d: darkened artificially (1897-1918)
s: bright and shiny (1918 onwards)
Type 2: Modified Obverse and Reverse
George VI
Type 1: IND IMP
Type 2: No IND IMP
Farthing Coin 1931
Elizabeth II
Type 1: BRITT OMNFarthing Coin Ireland
Type 2: No BRITT OMNValues extracted from Coin News January 2019
Search by reign
Farthing Coin Size
Links
Fractional farthings << :>> The Halfpenny
Values Index.
History of Farthings
Main History Index.
Pictures of Farthings.
Pictures Index.
Farthing Coin
Values of Coins of the UK - Farthings
Copyright reserved by the author, Tony Clayton
v38 7th August 2020