News:

Sign up for the monthly zoom events by sending a PM with your email address to Hitesh

Main Menu

Strange denominations: 1/3 & 1/4 farthings

Started by bart, January 27, 2008, 10:35:06 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

bart

At the coin show in Ghent I made some acquisitions of British coins with strange denominations. These coins were issued for use in some colonies, but, after a bill was passed, could also circulate in the homeland.

There is 1/3 farthing with the effigy of William IV (1835) and one with the effigy of George V (1913).
I also post a 1 1/2 penny of Victoria.

Bart

tonyclayton

To my knowledge the third farthing, quarter farthing and the three halfpence were never legal tender in the UK. However, the half farthing was, but was always treated as a bit of  a joke coin.

Figleaf

You very carefully speak of "legal tender" which leaves open the possibility that they did circulate. There's probably no case to make for the small coppers, but the "half threepence" should not have caused anybody any problem, apart from not being legal tender ...

Peter
An unidentified coin is a piece of metal. An identified coin is a piece of history.

BC Numismatics

Scotland had a whole host of strange denominations;

The 1 Merk (derived from 'Mark') was tariffed at a rate of 13 Shillings & 4 Pence (13/4).
The 1/2 Merk was 6/8.
The 1/4 Merk was 3/4,which was the same denomination as the 40 Pence coin.
Scotland even had a 20d. coin.
The 1 Plack was a 4d. coin,which was the same denomination as the Groat.
The strangest denominations from Scotland that I have in my collection apart from the 1 Merk,1/2 Merk,& 40d. are the 12/-,30/-,& 1 Plack.

You should read Coincraft's 'Coins of Scotland,Ireland,Isle of Man,& the Islands',& you will find out about Scotland's coins prior to 1707.

Tony,the British 1/2 Farthing was legal tender in the U.K. as well as in Ceylon,as was the British 1/4 Farthing.The 1/3 Farthing was used in Malta as a replacement for the Order of Malta's copper 1 Grano.

The British 1-1/2d. (3 Halfpence) was used in the West Indies,especially in Jamaica,where it became known as a 'Quattie' (referring to the fact that it was a quarter of a Sixpence).

The Channel Islands was home to some extremely strange denominations - Guernsey's Doubles & Jersey's coins denominated in fractions of a Shilling.

Ireland also had some strange denominations.It was the only country other than Great Britain to issue a 1/2 Farthing.Ireland also issued 3 Halfpence coins as well.You can see for yourself on http://www.irishcoinage.com .

Aidan.

translateltd

You will also find a three-farthings (3/4 of a penny) under Elizabeth I, part of a series made up by halving the shilling (6d), halving it again (3d), again (3 halfpence) and again (3 farthings).  Because the coins were similar in size to the earlier series based on fractions of a fourpence (2d, 1d and 1/2d), the element of a rose was put behind the Queen's effigy to mark the new coins.  This explains an otherwise obscure joke in Shakespeare's King John:

>My face so thin that in mine ear
>I durst [dare] not stick a rose
>Lest men should say, "Look,
>Where three-farthings goes!"

See Tony Clayton's excellent website, http://www.coins-of-the-uk.co.uk/ and navigate to History of UK coins / Index by denomination; there are over thirty different denominations of UK coins listed there.

Martin
NZ