Farthing 1927, Coin from United Kingdom - detailed information

Farthing 1927, Coin from United Kingdom (demonetised 1961)
CoinFarthing 1927

The Farthing was a small circulating coin of the British pre-decimal Pound Sterling, equal to a quarter of a penny. Prices were never written in farthings though - something worth a farthing would be quoted as 1/4d ("d" being the abbreviation for "penny", from the Roman "denarius"). There were 20 shillings to a pound, 12 pence to a shilling and 4 farthings to a penny, so 960 of these coins made up £1.

The denomination continues the tradition of earlier farthing coins of Great Britain, which also featured the figure of Britannia. The bronze coins of bronze coins of these specifications replaced the larger copper farthings which were issued until 1860. The new, more durable, alloy was composed of 95 parts of copper, four of tin and one of zinc. Between 1860 and 1895, the farthing had the third Britannia design on the reverse, and Queen Victoria's "Bun Head" effigy. During 1895, the reverse was updated to this fourth Britannia design - which is a simplified version of the earlier design by Leonard Charles Wyon, and the obverse to the Queen's "Veiled Head" portrait (in 1895, farthings of the two types were issued). The coins of this type were issued until 1936, with obverses changing to King Edward VII and King George V accordingly. In 1937, the reverse was redesigned for the new issue of King George VI.

Farthings were demonetised before the rest of the pre-decimal currency. They ceased to be legal tender after 31 December 1960. In other words, farthings issued in 1927 remained in circulation for 34 years.

MintRoyal Mint Mint MarkNo mint mark Total Mintage 7,868,355 (7.9 million)
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Obverse
United Kingdom / Farthing 1927 - obverse photo

The obverse of the coin shows the bare (uncrowned) head of King George V facing left.

Below, on the neck truncation in small letters, are the designer's initials B.M. (for [Sir Edgar] Bertram Mackennal).

Around, the monarch's legend: GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:. Translated from Latin: George the Fifth, by the Grace of God, King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India.

Obverse Inscription GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Reverse
United Kingdom / Farthing 1927 - reverse photo

The reverse of the coin shows, within a beaded border, the figure of Britannia - the female personification of Great Britain - seated facing right, wearing a crested Corinthian helmet pushed back to reveal her face and a flowing dress, resting her right hand on a shield bearing the combined crosses of the Union Flag, and holding a trident in her left hand.

Around above, interrupted by the crest of Britannia's helmet and her trident, the denomination FARTHING.

In exergue, the date 1927.

Reverse Inscription FARTHING 1927
EdgePlainEdge InscriptionNone
Notes

References to additional information:

[Book] Bressett, Kenneth E. 1962. A Guidebook of English Coins, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Wisconsin, USA. pp18-20
[Book] Freeman, Michael J. 1970. The Bronze Coinage of Great Britain. Motherwell, Scotland. (2016 ed. pp127-132)
[Book] Remick, Jerome. 1971. The Guide Book and Catalogue to British Commonwealth Coins., pp192-193

Farthing 1927: Known varieties
Variety Proof
Mintage Issued: unknown
Farthing 1927: References to Information Used
Showing 36 from a total of 136 coins of type: Farthing
Coin NameMintageEffigyLegend
Farthing 1921 9,469,097 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1922 9,956,983 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1923 8,034,457 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1924 8,733,416 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1925 12,634,697 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1926 9,792,397 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1927 7,868,355 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1928 11,625,600 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1929 8,419,200 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1930 4,195,200 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1931 6,595,200 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1932 9,292,800 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1933 4,560,000 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1934 3,052,800 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1935 2,227,200 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1936 9,734,400 King George V - Bare Head GEORGIVS V DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REX FID: DEF: IND: IMP:
Farthing 1937 George VI 8,157,606 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1938 7,449,600 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1939 31,440,000 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1940 18,360,000 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1941 27,312,000 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1942 28,857,600 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1943 33,345,600 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1944 25,137,600 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1945 23,736,000 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1946 24,364,800 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1947 14,745,600 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1948 16,622,400 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Farthing 1949 8,424,000 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX FIDEI DEF.
Farthing 1950 10,342,304 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX FIDEI DEF.
Farthing 1951 14,036,004 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX FIDEI DEF.
Farthing 1952 5,251,200 King George VI - Bare Head GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX FIDEI DEF.
Farthing 1953 6,149,202 Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait + ELIZABETH II DEI GRA: BRITT: OMN: REGINA F: D:
Farthing 1954 6,566,400 Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait + ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Farthing 1955 5,779,200 Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait + ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Farthing 1956 1,996,800 Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait + ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Showing 101 to 136 of 136 Coins.
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Farthing 1927: Details
CountryUnited Kingdom
CurrencyPound Sterling (pre-decimal)
Coin TypeFarthing (Britannia, fourth design)
Issued1927
MonarchKing George V
EffigyKing George V - Bare Head, by Bertram Mackennal
ReverseBritannia, Seated
Face Value1/4 (x Penny)
Circulation Mintage7,868,355 (7.9 million)
Total Mintage7,868,355 (7.9 million)
CurrentNo; demonetised 1961
MaterialBronze
DesignerLeonard Charles Wyon
TechnologyMilled (machine-made)
ShapeRound
OrientationMedal Alignment (Axis 0)
Size20.0000 mm
Thickness1.1000 mm
Mass2.8300 g
OCC IDMXKD-EKQC-RRPZ-EWQJ
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Farthing 1927: Photos
ImageDetails
Farthing 1927: Photo Coin, Great Britain, Farthing 1927 / thumbnail Coin, Great Britain, Farthing 1927
Copyright: NumisCorner.com
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Farthing 1927: Photo Coin, Great Britain, Farthing 1927 / thumbnail Coin, Great Britain, Farthing 1927
Copyright: NumisCorner.com
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Farthing 1927: Catalogue Reference IDs