Half farthing (British coin)
Encyclopedia
The half farthing British
coin ( of a penny, of a pound) was produced in various years between 1828 and 1856 (although proof coins were anomalously produced in 1868).
The coin was initially produced in 1828 for use in Ceylon, and again in 1830. The obverse
of the coin bears the left-facing portrait of King George IV
, with the inscription GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA date while the reverse
shows a seated Britannia
with shield, facing right and holding a trident, with the inscription BRITANNIAR REX FID DEF. There was no indication of its value. The coin was made of copper
, weighed 2.4 gram
s, and had a diameter of 18 millimetres.
In 1837, in the reign of King William IV
there was another issue, also of copper, 18 millimetres in diameter, but only weighing 2.3 grams. The obverse of this coin bears the right-facing portrait of William IV with the inscription GULIELMUS IIII DEI GRATIA 1837, and the same reverse as before.
In the reign of Queen Victoria
, coins were minted for circulation in 1839, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1847, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, and 1856. Again they were made of copper, 18 millimetres in diameter, and weighed 2.4 grams (except for 1856, which was 2.3 grams). The design changed considerably from what went before—the obverse bears the left-facing portrait of Queen Victoria, with the inscription VICTORIA D G BRITANNIAR REGINA F D, while the reverse bears a crown above the words HALF FARTHING with (1839) a rose with three leaves at the bottom of the coin, or (1842 and later) a rose, thistle, and shamrock. The change in design was because the coin was additionally made legal tender in the United Kingdom
from 13 June 1842. There was much cynicism of the need for such a coin in Britain, with letters written to The Times
, but the coin did indeed circulate widely in Britain and Ceylon. The value of the half-farthing in 1842 equates to at very least £0.04 (4p) in 2010 values and at most £1.51 (share of GDP) - source Measuring Worth.
The entire denomination was demonetised in 1869.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
coin ( of a penny, of a pound) was produced in various years between 1828 and 1856 (although proof coins were anomalously produced in 1868).
The coin was initially produced in 1828 for use in Ceylon, and again in 1830. The obverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
of the coin bears the left-facing portrait of King George IV
George IV of the United Kingdom
George IV was the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and also of Hanover from the death of his father, George III, on 29 January 1820 until his own death ten years later...
, with the inscription GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA date while the reverse
Obverse and reverse
Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags , seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, obverse means the front face of the object and reverse...
shows a seated Britannia
Britannia
Britannia is an ancient term for Great Britain, and also a female personification of the island. The name is Latin, and derives from the Greek form Prettanike or Brettaniai, which originally designated a collection of islands with individual names, including Albion or Great Britain. However, by the...
with shield, facing right and holding a trident, with the inscription BRITANNIAR REX FID DEF. There was no indication of its value. The coin was made of copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
, weighed 2.4 gram
Gram
The gram is a metric system unit of mass....
s, and had a diameter of 18 millimetres.
In 1837, in the reign of King William IV
William IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
there was another issue, also of copper, 18 millimetres in diameter, but only weighing 2.3 grams. The obverse of this coin bears the right-facing portrait of William IV with the inscription GULIELMUS IIII DEI GRATIA 1837, and the same reverse as before.
In the reign of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
, coins were minted for circulation in 1839, 1842, 1843, 1844, 1847, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, and 1856. Again they were made of copper, 18 millimetres in diameter, and weighed 2.4 grams (except for 1856, which was 2.3 grams). The design changed considerably from what went before—the obverse bears the left-facing portrait of Queen Victoria, with the inscription VICTORIA D G BRITANNIAR REGINA F D, while the reverse bears a crown above the words HALF FARTHING with (1839) a rose with three leaves at the bottom of the coin, or (1842 and later) a rose, thistle, and shamrock. The change in design was because the coin was additionally made legal tender in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
from 13 June 1842. There was much cynicism of the need for such a coin in Britain, with letters written to The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
, but the coin did indeed circulate widely in Britain and Ceylon. The value of the half-farthing in 1842 equates to at very least £0.04 (4p) in 2010 values and at most £1.51 (share of GDP) - source Measuring Worth.
The entire denomination was demonetised in 1869.