Medieval Hammered Farthings

Edward VI - Hammered Farthings

Edward VI (1547-53)

Edward VI inherited a monetary system in meltdown. During Henry VIII's reign the coinage was significantly debased due to a financial crisis in the Royal Treasury. During Edward's brief reign the quantity of silver with a value of a farthing was so small that the work it took to manufacture farthings was cumbersome and unprofitable, and the coins produced proved unpopular due to their tiny size. Produced from 1551, "Third Period" halfpennies contained so little silver that on 17 August 1551 they were devalued to be worth a farthing. This was the last reign in which hammered silver farthings were minted.

Queen Elizabeth I ordered the production of a new silver Three-farthings... but that's another story.

Historical Context

Two issues of farthings attributed to this reign:
· Third Period - Fine Silver Issue
· Third Period - Very Base Issue Halfpennies (pseudo farthings)

Indentures between 1547-1551 authorised the striking of farthings under Edward VI, but there is no evidence of any being struck in his name before 1551. Only a single farthing is known from the fine silver issue commissioned in October 1551. No other Edward VI farthings are known. But, with the debasement of the coinage of 1551, the halfpenny was devalued for use as a farthing...
An indenture of 5 April 1547, at the beginning of Edward VI's reign, authorised the production of farthings. It is possible that the dies from Henry VIII's reign remained in use (assuming any farthings were actually struck) as there is no evidence of a new type of farthing for this period. Had farthings been minted at this time they would have weighed a mere 0.8 grams.
On 2 December 1548, an indenture was issued to the mint at Durham House ordering the striking of all denominations of silver coins, including farthings. at 4 oz. fine. Despite this order, there are no known farthings that can be attributed to the Durham House mint. 1
On 17 August 1551, the quality of the debased coinage was addressed, resulting in a devaluation of the debased currency by 50%. As such, the debased halfpenny of Edward VI served as the 'de facto' farthing.
On 27 September 1560 these "farthings" were further devalued to three-quarter farthing, and they were finally withdrawn from circulation on 20 July 1561.
A commission, dated 1st October, 1551, was issued to the two mints at the Tower to produce silver coins, including farthings at the old base standard (i.e. as the fine silver issue). Currently, there is only one known hammered silver farthing struck from this fine silver issue. 2

Coin Characteristics: Third Period - Fine Silver Issue

  • Metal: Silver
  • Denomination: Farthing (¼ penny)
  • Mint(s): London
  • Obverse: Portcullis
  • Reverse: Long cross with forked ends and 3 pellets in each quarter
  • Coin diameter: 11mm
  • Inner circle diameter: 8mm (reverse only)
  • Weight: 0.19g

Coin Examples

Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Fine Silver Issue obverse Type 1.1 Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Fine Silver Issue reverse Type A
Edward VI - Third Period Fine Silver Issue

Year(s): 1551-3
Mint: London
Type/Class: 1.1a

Obverse: [E·] D· G [ROS]A SINE SPI around a Portcullis 3 . Legend translated: Edward by the Grace of God, a Rose without a thorn

Reverse: CIVITAS [LONDON] "Long Cross" pattée with three pellets in each quarter.

Dies: 1.1/A

Reference(s): S.2487A, North 1948 (although mis-classified as Base Silver Issue), Withers 1/a

Scarcity: One known

Image copyright: © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence(opens in a new tab)

Guide Price: £1500 (Fine) £5250 (Very Fine)

Coin Characteristics: Third Period - Very Base Issue

  • Metal: Silver
  • Denomination: Devalued Halfpenny (½ penny) used as a Farthing (¼ penny) 4
  • Mint(s): London
  • Obverse: Two distinct types: Single petal rose or Large single petal rose
  • Reverse: Shield over long cross
  • Coin Diameter: 11mm
  • Inner Circle Diameter: 8mm
  • Weight: 0.37g

Coin Examples: "Small" Single Petal Rose

Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue obverse Die 2.1 Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue reverse Die A
Edward VI - Third Period Very Base Issue

Year(s): 1551
Mint: London

Obverse: i.m. Scallop followed by: E:D:G:ROSA:SINE:SPI. around a single petal Rose. Legend translated: Edward by the Grace of God, a Rose without a thorn

Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON "Long Cross" pattée over the English Coat of Arms

Dies: 2.1/A

Reference(s): Whitton V 2c, S.2476, North 1947, SCBC 2476.

Scarcity: Two known

Guide Price: £450 (Fine) £1750 (Very Fine)

Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue obverse Die 2.1 Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue reverse Die B
Edward VI - Third Period Very Base Issue

Year(s): 1551
Mint: London

Obverse: i.m. Scallop followed by: [E]D G.[ROSA].SIN[E SPI] around a single petal Rose. Legend translated: Edward by the Grace of God, a Rose without a thorn

Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON "Long Cross" pattée over the English Coat of Arms

Dies: 2.1/B

Reference(s): Whitton V 2c, S.2476, North 1947, SCBC 2476.

Scarcity: Three known

Guide Price: £450 (Fine) £1750 (Very Fine)

Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue obverse Die 2.2 Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue reverse Die B
Edward VI - Third Period Very Base Issue

Year(s): 1551
Mint: London

Obverse: i.m. Scallop followed by: ·E D G [ROSA SINE] SPI. around a single petal Rose. Legend translated: Edward by the Grace of God, a Rose without a thorn

Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON "Long Cross" pattée over the English Coat of Arms

Dies: 2.2/B

Reference(s): Whitton V 2c, S.2476, North 1947, SCBC 2476.

Scarcity: One known

Guide Price: £450 (Fine) £1750 (Very Fine)

Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue obverse Die 2.3 Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue reverse Die B
Edward VI - Third Period Very Base Issue

Year(s): 1551
Mint: London

Obverse: i.m. Scallop followed by: E.D[]G:ROSA.SIN[E SPI]. around a single petal Rose. Legend translated: Edward by the Grace of God, a Rose without a thorn

Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON "Long Cross" pattée over the English Coat of Arms

Dies: 2.3/B

Reference(s): Whitton V 2c, S.2476, North 1947, SCBC 2476.

Scarcity: One known

Guide Price: £450 (Fine) £1750 (Very Fine)

Coin Examples: "Large" Single Petal Rose

Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue obverse Die 2.4 Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue reverse Die C
Edward VI - Third Period Very Base Issue

Year(s): 1551
Mint: London

Obverse: i.m. Scallop followed by: ·E:D:G:ROSA[·]SINE·SPI. around a large single petal Rose. Legend translated: Edward by the Grace of God, a Rose without a thorn

Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON "Long Cross" pattée over the English Coat of Arms

Dies: 2.4/C

Reference(s): Whitton V 2c, S.2476, North 1947, SCBC 2476.

Scarcity: Two known

Guide Price: £450 (Fine) £1750 (Very Fine)

Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue obverse Die 2.5 Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue reverse Die D
Edward VI - Third Period Very Base Issue

Year(s): 1551
Mint: London

Obverse: i.m. Scallop followed by: ·E:D:G:ROSA[:]SINE·SPI· around a large single petal Rose. Legend translated: Edward by the Grace of God, a Rose without a thorn

Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON "Long Cross" pattée over the English Coat of Arms

Dies: 2.5/D

Reference(s): Whitton V 2c, S.2476, North 1947, SCBC 2476.

Scarcity: One known

Guide Price: £450 (Fine) £1750 (Very Fine)

Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue obverse Die 2.6 Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue reverse Die E
Edward VI - Third Period Very Base Issue

Year(s): 1551
Mint: London

Obverse: i.m. Scallop followed by: ·E:D:G:ROSA[:]SINE·SPI· around a large single petal Rose. Legend translated: Edward by the Grace of God, a Rose without a thorn

Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON "Long Cross" pattée over the English Coat of Arms

Dies: 2.6/E

Reference(s): Whitton V 2c, S.2476, North 1947, SCBC 2476.

Scarcity: One known

Guide Price: £450 (Fine) £1750 (Very Fine)

Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue obverse Die 2.6 Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue reverse Die F
Edward VI - Third Period Very Base Issue

Year(s): 1551
Mint: London

Obverse: i.m. Scallop followed by: ·E:[D:G: R]OSA SIN[E·S]PI· around a large single petal Rose. Legend translated: Edward by the Grace of God, a Rose without a thorn

Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON "Long Cross" pattée over the English Coat of Arms

Dies: 2.6/F

Reference(s): Whitton V 2c, S.2476, North 1947, SCBC 2476.

Scarcity: One known

Guide Price: £450 (Fine) £1750 (Very Fine)

Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue obverse Die 2.7 Edward 6 Farthing Third Period Very Base Issue reverse Die G
Edward VI - Third Period Very Base Issue

Year(s): 1551
Mint: London

Obverse: i.m. Scallop followed by: E:D:G. ROSA· SINE:SPI around a large single petal Rose. Legend translated: Edward by the Grace of God, a Rose without a thorn

Reverse: CIVITAS LONDON "Long Cross" pattée over the English Coat of Arms

Dies: 2.7/G

Reference(s): Whitton V 2c, S.2476, North 1947, SCBC 2476.

Scarcity: One known

Guide Price: £450 (Fine) £1750 (Very Fine)

Corpus of Coins

This corpus records all coins available for study or known from published sources, auction catalogues and FPLs. Within each section, obverse dies are designated by a type number and a sub-type number, and reverse dies by lower-case letters (e.g 1.2a). An asterisk (*) indicates that there is an illustration on this page of a representative example of that die combination. Recorded weights are given where available.

Abbreviations

  • BM — British Museum
  • Fitz. — Fitzwilliam Museum
  • PC — Private Collections
  • wnr — weight not recorded
1.1a
[E·] D· G [ROS]A SINE SPI / CIVITAS LONDON
1* BM; GHB.474 (acquired 1899); ex. Joseph White, King & Lochee, 2-3 August 1810, lot 176; illustrated in Snelling, Pl. iv, no. 1; 0.19g
2.1a
E:D:G:ROSA:SINE:SPI. / CIVITAS LONDON
2* PC; ex. Bascom, Sotheby 15 June 1914, lot 125 (part) > Bruun (Part 1), Sotheby 20 May 1925, lot 620 > Clarke-Thornhill, Glendining 24 May 1937, lot 444 (bt. Baldwin) > Hulett, DNW Sale 148, 18 September 2018, lot 336; 0.33g/12h.
3 PC; Spink, Coins of England, No. 2476 (plate coin); wnr.
2.1b
E:D:G:ROSA:SINE:SPI· / CIVITAS LONDON
4* Fitz.; ex. Marsham-Townsend, Sotheby 19 November 1888, lot 423 (bt. Spink) > Montagu, Sotheby 1895, lot 555 > Henderson > Fitzwilliam Museum (Henderson Bequest 1933); 0.31g/3h.
5 PC; ex. Shuttleworth > Spink > Stewartby, Spink Sale 243, 28 March 2017; 0.53g.
6 PC; ex. Michael Trenerry, FPL February 2014, item J136 > Cattermole (Withers plate coin 3/a); wnr.
7 PC; ex. Wheeler, Sotheby 12 March 1930, lot 329 (part) > Ryan (Part 2), Glendining 22 January 1952, lot 1002; wnr.
8 BM; ex. Rogers; 0.39g/2h.
2.2b
·E D G [ROSA SINE] SPI. / CIVITAS LONDON
9* PC ex. Vosper, sold in the 2010's > CNG, Sale 111, 29 May 2019, lot 1106 > Rosen, CNG Keystone 14 Sale, 12 June 2024, lot 152; 0.36g/2h.
2.3b
E.D[]G:ROSA.SIN[E SPI]. / CIVITAS LONDON
10* PC; ex. eBay in 2009 > Shepherd (II); 0.32g/4h.
2.4c
·E:D:G:ROSA[·]SINE·SPI. / CIVITAS LONDON
11 PC; ex. CNG Sale 117, 19 May 2021, lot 1022; 0.24g/12h.
12* PC; ex. Shepherd (I), Sotheby 22 July 1885, lot 253 > Montagu, Sotheby 7 May 1888, lot 206 > Montagu (Part 2), Sotheby 11 May 1896, lot 855 (bt. Spink) > Murdoch (Part 1), Sotheby 31 March 1903, lot 529 > Bliss (Part 1), Sotheby 22 March 1916, lot 279 (bt. Spink) > Lockett (English Part 2), Glendining 11 October 1956, lot 1921 > Shuttlewood, Spink Sale 151, 15 March 2001, lot 264 > CNG, Sale 118, 13 September 2021, lot 1373; 0.39g/1h.
2.5d
·E:D:G:ROSA[:]SINE·SPI· / CIVITAS LONDON
13* PC; ex. Vosper > Arthur Bryant, June 2015 > Shepherd (II); 0.25g/12h.
2.6e
·E:D:G:[ROSA]SINE·SPI· / CIVITAS LONDON
14* PC; ex. CNG eAuction 539, 31 May 2023, lot 1094; 0.40g/12h.
2.6f
·E:[D:G: R]OSA SIN[E·S]PI· / CIVITAS LONDON
15* BM; 0.43g/10h.
2.7g
E:D:G. ROSA· SINE:SPI / CIVITAS LONDON
16* BM; ex. Evans (123) > J.P. Morgan; 0.39g/3h.


Footnotes

  1. Bispham, J. "The Base Silver Shillings of Edward VI." The British Numismatic Journal 55 (1985): 139. link(opens in a new tab) ↩
  2. Morrieson, H. W. "The Silver Coins of Edward VI." The British Numismatic Journal 12 (1916): 137-80 .link(opens in a new tab) ↩
  3. Attribution of this coin, including a complete obverse legend, is based on an entry and an illustration in Folkes, Martin. Tables of English Silver and Gold Coins. 2nd ed. London: Society of Antiquaries, 1745, 45, pl. ix, no. 18. The only known example, in the British Museum, only has a partial obverse legend visible. ↩
  4. The 'Very Base Issue' halfpence had so little silver in them that they were instead used as farthings. It was recorded in the King Edward's Journal on August 18, 1551, that the value of the base coin was further diminished: "The shilling fell from nine pence to six pence, the groat from three pence to two pence, the twopence to a penny, the penny to a halfpenny, the halfpenny to a farthing". ↩

Research & Resources

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