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{{short description|British coin valued at one eighth of a penny}}
{{Short description|Former coin of the United Kingdom and other territories}}
{{Infobox coin
{{Infobox coin
| Country = United Kingdom
| Country = United Kingdom
| Denomination = One half [[Farthing (British coin)|farthing]]
| Denomination = One half [[Farthing (British coin)|farthing]]
| Value = {{sfrac|1|1920}}
| Value = £0.0005208{{overline|3}}<br />0.125''[[Penny (British pre-decimal coin)|d]]''
| Unit = [[pound sterling]]
| Unit =
| Mass = 2.3
| Mass = 2.3
| Diameter = 18.0
| Diameter = 18.0
| Thickness =
| Thickness =
| Edge = Plain
| Edge = Plain
| Composition = Copper
| Composition = (1828–1856) copper<br/>(1868) bronze
| Years of Minting = 1828, 1830, 1837, 1839 1842–1844, 1847, 1851–1854, 1856, 1868 ([[Proof coinage|proof]] only)
| Years of Minting = 1828–1856
| Catalog Number =
| Catalog Number =
| Obverse = File:1843 Great Britain Half Farthing Obverse.png
| Obverse = File:1843 Great Britain Half Farthing Obverse.png
| Obverse Design = Profile of the monarch ([[Victoria of the United Kingdom|Victoria]] design shown)
| Obverse Design = Profile of the monarch ([[Queen Victoria|Victoria]] design shown)
| Obverse Designer = [[William Wyon]]
| Obverse Designer = [[William Wyon]]
| Obverse Design Date = 1839
| Obverse Design Date = 1839
| Reverse = File:1843 Great Britain Half Farthing Reverse.png
| Reverse = File:1843 Great Britain Half Farthing Reverse.png
| Reverse Design = Various ([[St Edward's Crown|Crown]], [[Rose]], [[Thistle]] and [[Shamrock]] design shown)
| Reverse Design = Various ([[St Edward's Crown|Crown]] and [[Tudor rose|rose]]-[[Thistle#Scottish thistle|thistle]]-[[shamrock]] design shown)
| Reverse Designer =
| Reverse Designer =
| Reverse Design Date = 1842
| Reverse Design Date = 1842
}}
}}
The [[United Kingdom|British]] '''half farthing''' was a coin valued at {{sfrac|1|1,920}} of a [[pound sterling]], or one eighth of a [[Penny (British pre-decimal coin)|penny]]. It was minted in copper for use in [[Ceylon]], but in 1842 was also declared legal tender in the United Kingdom. Two different obverses were used. Like all British coinage, it bore the portrait of the monarch on the obverse.
The '''half farthing''' was a [[Coins of the pound sterling|British coin]] worth {{frac|1|1920}} of a [[Pound (currency)|pound]], {{frac|1|96}} of a [[Shilling (British coin)|shilling]], or {{frac|1|8}} of a [[Penny (British pre-decimal coin)|penny]]. The coins were minted in copper for use in [[British Ceylon]] in various years between 1828 and 1856, and as a bronze [[Proof coinage|proof coin]] in 1868. In 1842, they were also declared legal tender in the United Kingdom. Half farthings were demonetised along with all other British copper coins on 31 December 1869.

Before [[Decimal Day]] in 1971 there were two hundred and forty pence in one pound sterling. There were four farthings in a penny. Twelve pence made a shilling, and twenty shillings made a pound. Values less than a pound were usually written in terms of shillings and pence, e.g. forty-two pence would be three shillings and six pence (3/6), pronounced "three and six" or "three and sixpence". Values of less than a shilling were simply written in terms of pence, e.g. eight pence would be 8d. A price with a farthing in it would be written like this: (19/{{sfrac|11|1|4}}), pronounced "nineteen and elevenpence farthing".


==History==
==History==
⚫
The [[Royal Mint]] first produced half farthings in 1828 for use in [[British Ceylon]],<ref name="mint">{{cite web |url=https://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/journal/curators-corner/fractional-farthings/ |title=Fractional Farthings|publisher=Royal Mint Museum|access-date=1 May 2023}}</ref> using dies by [[William Wyon]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Peck|1960|p=397}}</ref> The [[Obverse and reverse|obverse]] of the coin bore a left-facing portrait of [[George IV of the United Kingdom|George IV]], with the legend {{small|GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA}} and the date, while the [[Obverse and reverse|reverse]] showed a seated [[Britannia]] with shield, facing right and holding a trident, with the inscription {{small|BRITANNIAR: REX FID: DEF:}}.{{efn|In full, ''Georgius IV Dei Gratia Britanniarum Rex Fidei Defensor'' (George IV, [[By the Grace of God]], King of the Britains, [[Defender of the Faith]]) }} The coins were made of [[copper]], weighed 2.4 grammes, and had a diameter of 18 millimetres.<ref>{{Harvnb|Peck|1960|p=394-398}}</ref> The mint produced a second issue of George IV half farthings in 1830.<ref>{{Harvnb|Peck|1960|p=398}}</ref>


The mint produced one issue of half farthings during the reign of [[William IV of the United Kingdom|William IV]] in 1837. The obverse bore a right-facing portrait of William IV by Wyon with the legend {{small|GULIELMUS IIII DEI GRATIA}}{{efn|In full, ''Gulielmus IV Dei Gratia Britanniarum Rex Fidei Defensor'' (William IV, By the Grace of God, King of the Britains, Defender of the Faith)}} and the date. The coins used the same reverse dies as the issues of George IV,<ref>{{Harvnb|Peck|1960|p=402}}</ref> and were struck with the same size and weight standards.<ref>{{Harvnb|Peck|1960|p=400}}</ref>
⚫
The coin was initially produced in 1828 for use in [[Ceylon]], and again in 1830. The [[Obverse and reverse|obverse]] of the coin bears the left-facing portrait of [[George IV of the United Kingdom|King George IV]], with the inscription <small>GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA date</small> while the [[Obverse and reverse|reverse]] shows a seated [[Britannia]] with shield, facing right and holding a trident, with the inscription <small>BRITANNIAR REX FID DEF</small>. 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.


Wyon redesigned the half farthing for [[Queen Victoria]]'s first issue in 1839. The obverse used the same dies as Wyon's [[Royal Maundy#Maundy coinage|Maundy fourpence]], bearing a left-facing portrait of Queen Victoria and the legend {{small|VICTORIA D: G: BRITANNIAR: REGINA F: D:}}.{{efn|In full, ''Victoria Dei Gratia Britanniarum Regina Fidei Defensor'' (Victoria, By the Grace of God, Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith)}}<ref name="Peck413">{{Harvnb|Peck|1960|p=413}}</ref> The mint completely redesigned the reverse to avoid any resemblance between half farthings and the [[Fourpence (British coin)|fourpence]] coins introduced in 1836 and issued for Ceylon in 1839.<ref name="Peck413"/> The new reverse featured a [[St Edward's Crown|royal crown]] above the words {{small|HALF FARTHING}} and the date. Below the date, the coins featured a [[Tudor rose|heraldic rose]] with three leaves on either side.<ref name="Peck414">{{Harvnb|Peck|1960|p=414}}</ref> The mint produced additional issues in 1842, 1843, 1844, 1847, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, and 1856,<ref name="Peck414"/> all to the same size and weight standards as the issues of George IV and William IV,<ref>{{Harvnb|Peck|1960|p=403}}</ref> but with the rose emblem changed to a joint rose, [[Thistle#Scottish thistle|thistle]], and [[shamrock]].<ref name="Peck413"/> The mint produced [[Proof coinage|proof]] half farthings in bronze and copper-nickel in 1868, but no 1868 half farthings were issued for circulation.<ref name="Peck414"/>
In 1837, in the reign of [[William IV of the United Kingdom|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 <small>GULIELMUS IIII DEI GRATIA 1837</small>, and the same reverse as before.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.coindatabase.com/coin_libras_sort_kings2.php?id=1149 |title=Coin Database|access-date=19 May 2014 |publisher=Coin Database}}</ref>


Half farthings were made legal tender in the [[United Kingdom]] on 13 June 1842.<ref name="Peck413"/> Several letters to the editor in ''[[The Times]]'' criticised the proclamation.<ref name="Peck413"/><ref>{{Harvnb|Peck|1960|p=617}}</ref> All British copper coins, including half farthings, were demonetised on 31 December 1869.<ref name="mint"/><ref name="Peck413"/>
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 <small>VICTORIA D G BRITANNIAR REGINA F D </small>, while the reverse bears a crown above the words <small>HALF FARTHING</small> with (1839) a rose with three leaves at the bottom of the coin, or (1842 and later) a rose, thistle, and shamrock.


== Notes ==
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.
{{notes}}

The purchasing value of a penny in 1844, at 2013 purchasing power, was (at its lowest) 35p (GB pound sterling). A half-farthing, therefore (one eighth of a penny) would have had a value in 2013 of 4.375p (GB Sterling pence). Yet, as of 2014, the UK still had widely circulating coins of just 1p and 2p. The half-farthing therefore was not of so minuscule a value as (middle-class) writers of the day (1844) might imagine.<ref>http://www.measuringworth.com/ppoweruk/ </ref> Unadjusted for inflation, its conversion to modern denominations would place it at slightly more than one twentieth of a decimal penny.

The entire denomination was demonetised from 1 January 1870.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.royalmintmuseum.org.uk/journal/curators-corner/fractional-farthings/ |title=Fractional Farthings|publisher=Royal Mint Museum|access-date=10 Dec 2021}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Portal|Money|Numismatics|United Kingdom}}
{{Portal|Money|Numismatics|United Kingdom}}
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{cite book |title=English Copper, Tin and Bronze Coins in the British Museum: 1558-1958 |last=Peck |first=C. Wilson |year=1960 |publisher=Trustees of the British Museum |location=London}}


{{British coinage}}
{{British coinage}}


[[Category:Coins of the United Kingdom|Half Farthing]]
[[Category:Coins of Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:History of British coinage]]
[[Category:Coins of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Pre-decimalisation coins of the United Kingdom]]

Latest revision as of 20:50, 22 October 2023

One half farthing
United Kingdom
Value£0.00052083
0.125d
Mass2.3 g
Diameter18.0 mm
EdgePlain
Composition(1828–1856) copper
(1868) bronze
Years of minting1828, 1830, 1837, 1839 1842–1844, 1847, 1851–1854, 1856, 1868 (proof only)
Obverse
DesignProfile of the monarch (Victoria design shown)
DesignerWilliam Wyon
Design date1839
Reverse
DesignVarious (Crown and rose-thistle-shamrock design shown)
Design date1842

The half farthing was a British coin worth 1⁄1920 of a pound, 1⁄96 of a shilling, or 1⁄8 of a penny. The coins were minted in copper for use in British Ceylon in various years between 1828 and 1856, and as a bronze proof coin in 1868. In 1842, they were also declared legal tender in the United Kingdom. Half farthings were demonetised along with all other British copper coins on 31 December 1869.

History

[edit]

The Royal Mint first produced half farthings in 1828 for use in British Ceylon,[1] using dies by William Wyon.[2] The obverse of the coin bore a left-facing portrait of George IV, with the legend GEORGIUS IV DEI GRATIA and the date, while the reverse showed a seated Britannia with shield, facing right and holding a trident, with the inscription BRITANNIAR: REX FID: DEF:.[a] The coins were made of copper, weighed 2.4 grammes, and had a diameter of 18 millimetres.[3] The mint produced a second issue of George IV half farthings in 1830.[4]

The mint produced one issue of half farthings during the reign of William IV in 1837. The obverse bore a right-facing portrait of William IV by Wyon with the legend GULIELMUS IIII DEI GRATIA[b] and the date. The coins used the same reverse dies as the issues of George IV,[5] and were struck with the same size and weight standards.[6]

Wyon redesigned the half farthing for Queen Victoria's first issue in 1839. The obverse used the same dies as Wyon's Maundy fourpence, bearing a left-facing portrait of Queen Victoria and the legend VICTORIA D: G: BRITANNIAR: REGINA F: D:.[c][7] The mint completely redesigned the reverse to avoid any resemblance between half farthings and the fourpence coins introduced in 1836 and issued for Ceylon in 1839.[7] The new reverse featured a royal crown above the words HALF FARTHING and the date. Below the date, the coins featured a heraldic rose with three leaves on either side.[8] The mint produced additional issues in 1842, 1843, 1844, 1847, 1851, 1852, 1853, 1854, and 1856,[8] all to the same size and weight standards as the issues of George IV and William IV,[9] but with the rose emblem changed to a joint rose, thistle, and shamrock.[7] The mint produced proof half farthings in bronze and copper-nickel in 1868, but no 1868 half farthings were issued for circulation.[8]

Half farthings were made legal tender in the United Kingdom on 13 June 1842.[7] Several letters to the editor in The Times criticised the proclamation.[7][10] All British copper coins, including half farthings, were demonetised on 31 December 1869.[1][7]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ In full, Georgius IV Dei Gratia Britanniarum Rex Fidei Defensor (George IV, By the Grace of God, King of the Britains, Defender of the Faith)
  2. ^ In full, Gulielmus IV Dei Gratia Britanniarum Rex Fidei Defensor (William IV, By the Grace of God, King of the Britains, Defender of the Faith)
  3. ^ In full, Victoria Dei Gratia Britanniarum Regina Fidei Defensor (Victoria, By the Grace of God, Queen of the Britains, Defender of the Faith)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Fractional Farthings". Royal Mint Museum. Retrieved 1 May 2023.
  2. ^ Peck 1960, p. 397
  3. ^ Peck 1960, p. 394-398
  4. ^ Peck 1960, p. 398
  5. ^ Peck 1960, p. 402
  6. ^ Peck 1960, p. 400
  7. ^ a b c d e f Peck 1960, p. 413
  8. ^ a b c Peck 1960, p. 414
  9. ^ Peck 1960, p. 403
  10. ^ Peck 1960, p. 617

Sources

[edit]
  • Peck, C. Wilson (1960). English Copper, Tin and Bronze Coins in the British Museum: 1558-1958. London: Trustees of the British Museum.
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