The British farthing (from Old English fēorðing, from fēorða, a fourth) historically abbreviated qua. (from Latin quadrans) [1], was a denomination of sterling coins worth 1/960 of a pound, 1/48 of a shilling or 1/4 of a penny. It was minted in copper and later bronze, replacing earlier English farthings. “Recently, a bus driver refused the eight farthings I had offered him in exchange for a return ticket. On another occasion, the newspaper salesman to whom I gave six Farthings in exchange for an evening paper became as abusive as if I had tried to slip him a fake coin. George I died in 1727, the same year as Newton, and the king`s son, King George II, succeeded to the throne and reigned until 1760. Croker engraved the new king`s head for coin; the Britannia design has not been modified. [4] Farthings with Croker`s drawing for George`s head were minted in 1730-1737 and 1739. A bust of an elderly king by John Sigismund Tanner was used on the farthing in 1741, 1744, 1746, 1749, 1750 and 1754, although the 1754 coin was probably minted until at least 1763.

All of George II`s farthings weighed 4.5 to 5.3 grams and had a diameter of 22 to 23 millimeters. Both obverse showed heads facing to the left of King George and the inscription GEORGIVS II REX,[b] and on the reverse Britannia with the inscription BRITANNIA and date in the exergue. [7] The Farthing was produced in relatively small numbers compared to half the penny (minted annually from 1730 to 1754); In no year were we hit half as many farthings, and in most years much less. [12] The British farthing (derived from the Old English feorthing, a fourth part)[1] was a British coin worth a quarter of an old penny (£1⁄960). It was not minted after 1956 and was demonetized from January 1, 1961. [2] The farthings of Edward`s son and successor, King George V, led to a new left-leaning portrait of Sir Bertram Mackennal and the continuation of Britannia conscription. Farthings with the portrait of King George were made every year of his reign except 1910. Apart from the fact that EDWARDVS VII was replaced by GEORGIVS V (George V), the inscription has not been changed. In 1917, the Mint stopped obscuring Farthings because the half-rule was no longer minted.

Like the penny and halfpenny, the size of the king`s head was slightly reduced in 1926. Britannia`s presentation has also been slightly adjusted this year. A total of £5,710,748 was minted in cents, £1,039,704 in half-pennies and £222,643 in farthings for the reign. [42] The Farthing of 1799 broke new ground in two areas: the reverse was inscribed with 1 FARTHING, the first time the name of a denomination appeared on an English or British coin, and it was also the first British coin to have the date on the same side as the monarch`s head. The inscription on the obverse was GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX,[d] and the reverse shows a newly designed seated Britannia facing left holding a spray and spear, with the inscription BRITANNIA 1 FARTHING. In 1806–1807, an additional 22.5 tons (23 tons) of copper were minted by Boulton at Farthings, but the price of copper had risen again and the weight was less than in the 1799 edition. The farthings of the 1799 edition weigh 5.8 to 6.6 grams (0.20 to 0.23 ounces) with a diameter of 23 to 24 millimeters (0.91 to 0.94 inches), while Boulton`s later edition weighs 4.7 to 4.8 grams (0.17 ounces) with a diameter of 21 to 22 millimeters (0.83 to 0.87 inches). For the 1806-1807 issues, the face value was removed from the coin, DEI GRATIA was abbreviated to D G and the image of Britannia was slightly modified. [16] Copper farthings and half-pfennigs from the period prior to 1797 were demanded by proclamation of December 5, 1817 and redeemed by weight. [17] In the years following World War II, farthing had found more use, as the standard one-pound loaf of bread (454 g) was set by the government and the price contained an odd halfpenny; Thus, a cash transaction for the purchase of a half-pound loaf of bread alone required the use of a farthing, either with payment or as currency.

[48] By the 1950s, due to inflation, the purchasing power of farthing had declined, as had commercial demand. The letters to the Times reflected this reality: a correspondent reported that he was rejected when he offered a bus driver eight Farthings for a two-penny fare, and a salesman became abusive when he was offered six Farthings for a newspaper. This is despite the fact that, as a later letter noted, the coin was still legal tender for one shilling. [49] Demand continued to decline and production of Farthing ceased after 1956. [50] The elimination of the distance from trade also gave way to a possible smaller penny and half penny, which Royal Mint officials proposed. [n][51] The Farthing ceased to be legal tender after December 31, 1960. [51] King Henry VIII (1509-1547) issued farthings in his three coins, which were minted at the London Mint, although they are all extremely rare. The obverse of the first coin (1509-1526) bears the inscription HENRIC DI GRA REX around a portcullis; while the second coin (1526-1544) bears the legend RUTILANS ROSA – A dazzling rose – around the portcullis and the reverse bears the legend DEO GRACIAS around a long cross. Farthings of the second currency were also minted in Canterbury (identified by a Catherine Wheel mint mark).

The third coin (1544-1547) was produced in basic silver and bears the legend h D G RUTILE ROSA around a rose and the reverse legend DEO GRACIAS around a long cross with a ball in each quarter.