Talk:Farthing (British coin)

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We should keep articles at simple names (see wikipedia:naming conventions (common names)). Therefore this content should live at farthing, I believe. Unless there are non-UK farthings? Martin 23:23 Apr 30, 2003 (UTC)

I think there were Irish farthings, and I wouldn't be surprised about any Australian etc ones. The problem is that we are currently producing articles linked off British coinage for each denomination ever circulated, and it is necessary to have more complex naming conventions to distinguish between coins of the same name, e.g. the 14th century English coin Florin or Double Leopard, worth six shillings, and the 19th/20th century British coin Florin worth two shillings. This convention had been created before I discovered Wikipedia, and I'm just continuing it. The Farthing article was the only non-standard one which previously existed, and the redirect from there to here should catch any inadvertent links to the old article.

This naming style does reflect that the farthing existed before the British state -- I reserve the right to be inconsistent in not writing about the Mercian/English/British coin Penny! -- Arwel 23:41 Apr 30, 2003 (UTC)

Contents

[edit] Etymology

I restored the etymology from "far-thing" to the original "four-thing". However I do not know whether that is right or only someone's guess. Please check, and confirm or correct... Thanks.
Jorge Stolfi 22:08, 18 May 2004 (UTC)

Cheers - my mistake! Mark Richards 22:18, 18 May 2004 (UTC)
I believe a farthing is Anglo-saxon or Norse for a quarter, and riding is Anglo-saxon or Norse for a third - which makes sense. Can anybody verify this? TiffaF 15:27, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] End of validity

I'm reverting the recent change that the farthing ceased to be legal tender on 1 January 1961; my authority is Coincraft's Standard Catalogue of English & UK coins 1066 to Date which states that it ceased to be legal tender "after 31 December 1960". What's the difference? Well, the date is given twice in the article, and the second one as it now stands (apart from a typo of 13 January) implies they were still valid on 1-1-61. -- Arwel 23:18, 25 Jul 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Crane

During the reign of Charles I, (1625–1649), farthings continued to be produced under the king's licence. In 1623 the Duke of Lennox had also become Duke of Richmond, but died a few months later. The farthing patent passed to his widow, Frances, Duchess of Richmond and Sir Francis Crane. The first issues of Charles I are consequently called Richmonds. In 1634 another farthing patent was issued, to Lord Maltravers, Henry Howard, and Sir Francis Crane, their issues being known as Maltravers.

Is this correct? Why should Sir Crane get the patent together with both Frances, Duchess of Richmond, and Lord Maltravers, Henry Howard? What was his rekation to them?Ladypine 07:09, 1 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Britannia on the obverse?

"and Pistrucci's treatment of Britannia on the obverse was not much better," - This seems like a mistake, Britannia was always on the reverse.Ladypine 16:22, 5 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Value

Can anybody say what the buying power of one farthing was, say, approximately during the Victorian era? Like compared to the Euro-Cent, which is considered necessary for giving change but has no real buying power, as there is really no item to be bought for less than 10 or 15 ct.
Basically I'm intrigued by some modern day politicians claiming that "the rich are getting richer and poor are getting poorer". I find it interesting that people from different walks of life at one time calculated their income and their purchases in units as far apart as the farthing on the one side and the guinea on the other. --BjKa (talk) 11:57, 23 November 2007 (UTC)