Farthing (British Coin) - Victorian Farthings

Victorian Farthings

The farthings of Queen Victoria's long reign (1837–1901) can be basically divided into the copper issue of 1838–1860, where the coins were 4.5–4.9 grams in weight and 22 millimetres in diameter, and which were very similar to the farthings of her two predecessors (with the obvious substitution of for on the reverse), and the bronze issue of 1860–1901, which itself is split between 1894 and 1895 into coins displaying the "young head" and the "old head" of the Queen (although in 1864 a copper farthing was produced as well as the normal bronze coin: this is extremely valuable). The bronze coins weighed 2.8–3.0 grams, were 20 millimetres in diameter, and the metal content was 95% copper, 4% tin, 1% zinc. The bronze coins also featured the denomination on the reverse, with the date in the exergue beneath Britannia. The inscription on the obverse of the "young head" coins reads, while on the "old head" it is (Victoria, by the grace of God Queen of Britain, defender of the faith, Empress of India). Some 1874–1876 and 1881–1882 farthings have an "H" mintmark underneath the date, indicating that they were produced at the Heaton mint in Birmingham.

Farthings were produced in all years of Victoria's reign except 1837, 1870, 1871, and 1889. Starting in 1897, farthings were issued in an artificially toned state so that they would not be confused with the half-sovereign coin. It is thought that the reason there is an unbroken series of copper farthings between 1838 and 1860 is because the same dies were used to produce the obverses of both the gold sovereign and the farthing – this would account for the high frequency of defects in the coin series as presumably the dies would have been used first to produce the gold coins, and defects may have appeared in them before they were used on the farthing.

There were also fractional farthings. The first of the fractional farthings to be issued was the third-farthing, which throughout the period of issue from 1827 to 1913 was minted solely for use in Malta. The island used British coins, but the grano, dating from before British rule, was valued at a twelfth of a penny. As a result the decision was made to coin the equivalent in a British denomination. Half-farthings and even quarter farthings were also issued for colonial use.

From 1844 to 1869 the half farthing was legal tender in Britain. The coin was much derided by press and public and was withdrawn in 1869. However the value of a half farthing in 1844, in 2010 values, can be estimated at approximately £0.05 (5p).