United Kingdom | |
| Value | 1/4d sterling |
|---|---|
| Mass | 2.83 g |
| Diameter | 20.19 mm |
| Thickness | 0.666 mm |
| Edge | Plain |
| Composition | Bronze |
| Years of minting | 1860–1956 |
| Obverse | |
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| Design | Elizabeth II |
| Designer | Mary Gillick |
| Design date | 1953 |
| Reverse | |
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| Design | Wren (Britannia on earlier mintages) |
| Designer | Harold Wilson Parker |
| Design date | 1937 |
The farthing (from Old English fēorðing, from fēorða, a fourth) was a British coin worth one quarter of a penny, or 1/960 of a pound sterling. Initially minted in copper, and then in bronze, it replaced the earlier English farthing. Between 1860 and 1971, the farthing's purchasing power ranged between 12p and 0.2p in 2017 values.[1]
The farthing's reverse bore an image of Britannia until 1937, when a wren was introduced. As with all British coins, the obverse bore the image of the reigning monarch.[2] The farthing ceased to be legal tender in the United Kingdom on 1 January 1961.[3]
- ^ "Purchasing Power of British Pounds from 1270 to Present". measuringworth.com. Retrieved 17 July 2016.
- ^ Michael, Thomas and Cuhaj, George S. Collecting World Coins: Circulating Issues 1901 - Present (Krause Publications, 2001)
- ^ Cavendish, Richard (12 December 2010). "The Farthing's Last Day". History Today. Retrieved 21 December 2020.