May 29, 2026

British Farthing — Edward VII — 1902–1910 The Smallest Bronze — Artificially Darkened — De Saulles Portrait — Complete Series Guide

KM# 792  ·  S.3992  ·  Freeman 554–565  ·  Bronze  ·  20 mm  ·  2.8 g  ·  Plain edge  ·  Medal alignment ↑↑  ·  Artificially darkened finish 1897–1917

The Artificially Darkened Farthing — The Edwardian farthing (and those struck 1897–1917) was deliberately treated with acid fumes at the Royal Mint to give it a dark, blackened finish before issue. The reason: uncirculated bronze farthings, bright and golden, had on occasion been passed off as half-sovereigns (gold coins of similar size). The darkening was a deliberate anti-fraud measure. This means genuine uncirculated Edwardian farthings should appear dark — not bright copper-red — and a full-red (RD) uncirculated example is almost certainly cleaned, not original.
Note — Bronze, not silver: The farthing is struck in bronze (95% copper, 4% tin, 1% zinc) — no bullion value. Unlike the silver denominations, value is determined entirely by condition, colour, and collector demand. The darkened-finish rule fundamentally alters the colour grading compared to the penny and halfpenny — see below.

The Smallest Edwardian Bronze — De Saulles and Wyon at 20mm

The farthing completes the Edwardian bronze denominations: the same combination of George William de Saulles's Edward VII portrait on the obverse and Leonard Charles Wyon's 1860 seated Britannia reverse as on the penny and halfpenny, but compressed into a 20mm, 2.8g coin — the smallest and lightest bronze piece in the Edwardian series. De Saulles died in August 1903; Wyon in 1891. Both their designs continued in use after their deaths, the Britannia reverse unaltered since 1860. The farthing legend reads FARTHING with the year on the reverse; the obverse legend is the full imperial title as on all the larger denominations. At 20mm the portrait detail is inevitably limited, but the coin's role as the Edwardian series' smallest denomination gives it its own distinct collecting appeal.

missing image
Obverse
Edward VII — de Saulles
DES below truncation
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Reverse
Britannia seated — Wyon
FARTHING / year
DARK / BN — Brown-Black Artificially darkened original finish intact — the correct appearance for an uncirculated Edwardian farthing. Deliberately produced. Dark blackened-bronze tone on high areas; brown in recesses. This is the desirable UNC surface for this series. Correct original finish — premium for darkened UNC
RB — Red-Brown Partial darkening survived; some copper-red showing through — typically on worn pieces where the artificial dark has worn away from high points, or on lightly treated examples. Natural on circulated coins. Standard for circulated grades
RD — Full Red Full copper-red: the artificial darkening has been removed — almost certainly by cleaning/polishing. A fully bright-red Edwardian farthing described as "uncirculated" should be treated with caution. Bright red is not original for this series. Usually indicates cleaning — discount, not premium
Denomination Farthing (¼d — quarter penny)
Country United Kingdom
Reign Edward VII (1901–1910)
Obverse Designer George W. de Saulles (DES)
Reverse Designer Leonard Charles Wyon (1860, continued)
Metal Bronze (Cu 95%, Sn 4%, Zn 1%)
Diameter 20 mm
Weight 2.8 g (1/30 oz avoirdupois)
Edge Plain (smooth)
Die axis Medal alignment ↑↑
Mint Royal Mint, London (no Heaton issues)
Catalogues KM#792 · S.3992 · Freeman 554–565
History & Context
The Darkening
Design
Complete Series
Valuation
Collecting Notes
Section Topic Notes
History & Context
History The Farthing —
A Quarter Penny		 The farthing — worth one quarter of a penny, one forty-eighth of a shilling, one nine-hundred-and-sixtieth of a pound — was the smallest denomination in regular British circulation. In Edwardian England, a farthing was not negligible: it appeared in pricing (goods priced at 1¾d required farthing change), in charitable collections (farthing bundles of firewood, farthing newspapers), and in the tipping economy (a farthing left on a tray was better than nothing). Children received farthings and spent them on single sweets from the glass jars in corner shops. The farthing occupied the bottom of the British monetary hierarchy with a quiet but persistent utility. ¼d = 1/4 penny = 1/48 shilling = 1/960 pound. The farthing was abolished in 1960 — earlier than decimalisation — because its purchasing power had fallen so low that it was essentially worthless in commerce. The last bronze farthing was struck in 1956.
History The Farthing
in Commerce		 The farthing's role in Edwardian daily commerce was shaped by the widespread use of fractional pricing. British retail prices of the period commonly included farthing components: 1¾d, 2¾d, 3¾d — always one less than a round penny, creating the need for farthing change. Advertisers exploited this: "from 1s 11¾d" was a common price point, requiring the customer to receive a farthing in change from a shilling and a penny. The farthing thus circulated through ordinary commerce constantly, which is why so many surviving examples show significant wear — it was genuinely used, not merely curiosity-hoarded like the crown.
History Medal Alignment ↑↑ Unlike the penny, halfpenny, and all the silver denominations (which use coin alignment ↑↓, where the reverse is inverted relative to the obverse), the Edwardian farthing was struck in medal alignment ↑↑ — rotating the coin around its vertical axis, both obverse and reverse read the same way up. This is confirmed by coinscatalog.net and is a persistent feature of the farthing series. The reason is historical convention rather than any practical necessity; the distinction matters only to variety collectors attributing die pairs. Medal alignment (↑↑): hold obverse upright, flip coin around vertical axis — reverse is also upright. Coin alignment (↑↓): same flip — reverse is upside-down. All silver denominations in this series use coin alignment. The farthing uses medal alignment.
The Artificially Darkened Finish — 1897–1917
Darkening Why the Farthing
Was Darkened		 The artificially darkened finish is the single most distinctive and most important collecting characteristic of the Edwardian farthing series — unique among British coinage. The reason is disarmingly simple: a freshly struck Victorian or Edwardian bronze farthing, bright copper-gold in colour, was approximately the same diameter as a half-sovereign (the gold 10 shilling coin). Unscrupulous individuals were gilding or otherwise treating bright farthings and passing them as half-sovereigns to the unwary — a fraud that cost victims 120 times the coin's face value. The Royal Mint's solution, adopted from 1897 onward, was to darken every farthing before issue using acid fumes, making them immediately distinguishable from the golden half-sovereign. The specific method was to expose newly struck farthings to sulphurous acid fumes, which rapidly blackened the surface. The result is a dark brown-to-black patina on the high relief areas, grading to a warmer brown in the recesses. This treatment was applied consistently through the entire 1897–1917 period (covering the final Victorian Veiled Head farthings and all Edwardian farthings).
Darkening What Original
Finish Looks Like		 A correctly preserved Edwardian farthing in UNC condition should appear dark — essentially a very dark brown to near-black on the highest relief areas, warming to brown in protected areas. On some examples the treatment was lighter and results in shades down to medium brown. The key point: a bright copper-red or golden Edwardian farthing described as "uncirculated" has almost certainly had the original darkening removed by cleaning, polishing, or treatment. Bright red is a warning sign, not a premium feature. This inverts the normal bronze colour grading convention: for the penny and halfpenny, RD (full red) is the most desirable surface for UNC examples. For the farthing, the original UNC surface is dark — the equivalent of a "correct" BN on the penny. A genuinely uncirculated darkened farthing is significantly rarer than a cleaned bright example, because the darkening is easily removed and many dealers and collectors have done so, inadvertently destroying the original surface.
Darkening The End of
Darkening: 1917		 After 1917 the practice of artificially darkening farthings was discontinued. The reason was that the half-sovereign had been withdrawn from circulation at the outbreak of WWI in 1914 — once there was no golden coin of similar size to be confused with, the darkening rationale disappeared. George V farthings struck from 1917 onward are therefore bright-finish pieces; the artificially darkened farthing is an exclusively late-Victorian and Edwardian collecting phenomenon.
Design
Design Obverse De Saulles's Edward VII portrait compressed to 20mm. The legend reads EDWARDVS VII D: G: BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: At this scale the portrait is necessarily less detailed than on the larger denominations — the facial features are present but the fine collar and whisker work visible on the crown or halfcrown is substantially reduced. Below the truncation: DES, though at 20mm this signature is very small and requires magnification to read. The dark original finish on UNC examples gives the portrait a dignified, medallic quality quite different from the bright-copper penny.
Design Reverse Wyon's 1860 seated Britannia at 20mm — the same composition as the penny and halfpenny reverse, further reduced. Britannia sits right, helmeted, trident in hand, shield on arm, sea behind. The legend reads FARTHING with the date below in the exergue. At this scale the reverse detail is inevitably limited: Britannia's general form is clear, but the fine detail of the trident prongs, shield cross, and helmet plume requires EF or better condition to read individually. The farthing reverse differs from the penny and halfpenny in one key respect: the legend is simply FARTHING rather than ONE PENNY or HALF PENNY. The denomination label convention varies across the three bronze series: penny = "ONE PENNY", halfpenny = "HALF PENNY", farthing = "FARTHING" (without a numeral). This reflects the farthing's status as an indivisible minimum unit.
Design The 1903 Coloured
Shield Variety		 The 1903 farthing has a documented die variety — the Shield heraldically coloured variety — noted by coinscatalog.net. This variety shows colour fill applied to the heraldic devices on Britannia's shield, presumably a die trial or a small special production batch. It is listed as a separate entry with no published mintage. This is a specialist-level variety requiring specific reference attribution; most collectors treat it as a curiosity rather than a set requirement, but it represents the kind of die experiment that the Royal Mint occasionally produced without formal announcement.
Complete Series — All Dates
Series Mintages & Values
by Year
Year Freeman Mintage Notes Fair–VG (£) F–VF (£) EF–UNC (£)
1902 F554 5,125,000 First year. Artificially darkened. allcoinvalues: "First King Edward VII era UK farthing." Normal availability. Retailing £0.30–£18. £0.30 – £1.50 £2 – £7 £12 – £18+
1903 F555/556 5,331,000 Coloured shield variety (F556) documented — mintage unknown, specialist piece. Standard 1903 (F555) is normal. Retailing £0.30–£18. £0.30 – £1.50 £2 – £7 £12 – £18+
1904 ★ F557 3,629,000 Key date — lowest mintage of the series. Harder to find in EF and above. coinscatalog F12 $3.50 vs $1–1.50 for common dates; XF40 $18 (same as common but harder to find). Retailing £0.50–£25. £0.50 – £2 £3 – £10 £16 – £25+
1905 F558 4,077,000 Moderate mintage. Available. Similar to 1903. Retailing £0.30–£18. £0.30 – £1.50 £2 – £7 £12 – £18+
1906 F559 5,340,000 High mintage — alongside 1903 the most common date. Readily available. Good starting point. Retailing £0.30–£18. £0.30 – £1.50 £2 – £6 £11 – £18+
1907 F560 4,399,000 Normal mintage. Available in all grades. Retailing £0.30–£18. £0.30 – £1.50 £2 – £6 £11 – £18+
1908 F561/562 4,264,000 Normal mintage. Possible minor varieties documented in Freeman. Retailing £0.30–£18. £0.30 – £1.50 £2 – £7 £12 – £18+
1909 F563 8,852,000 Highest mintage of the series. Most common date. Retailing £0.20–£14. £0.20 – £1 £1.50 – £5 £9 – £14+
1910 F564/565 2,299,000 Last year of Edward VII. allcoinvalues: "Last King Edward VII era UK farthing." Lower mintage — second scarcest after 1904. Death-year premium. Retailing £0.50–£30. £0.50 – £2.50 £4 – £12 £18 – £30+
Mintages from coinscatalog.net (1902: 5,125,000; 1903: 5,331,000; 1904: 3,629,000; 1905: 4,077,000; 1906: 5,340,000; 1907: 4,399,000; 1908: 4,264,000; 1909: 8,852,000; 1910: 2,299,000). Values from allcoinvalues.com per-year pages and coinscatalog USD prices converted at £0.80/$1. Values assume original darkened surface (Dark/BN) for UNC — a cleaned bright-red example at UNC grade is worth significantly less than a correctly darkened original. Colour coding: blue = first year; red = key date; green = last year. Not investment advice.
Mint & Production
Mint Royal Mint Only —
No Heaton Issues		 All Edwardian farthings were struck exclusively at the Royal Mint, Tower Hill, London. Unlike the penny (which had Heaton Birmingham contract issues 1902–1906 with an H mintmark), the farthing was never contracted to Heaton. No H mintmark issues exist. This is the simplest attribution situation among all the Edwardian bronze denominations — one mint, no mintmark complications. The same applies to the halfpenny (Royal Mint only). Only the penny needed the Heaton supplement.
Mint The 1904
Key Date		 The 1904 farthing had the lowest standard mintage of the series at 3,629,000 — the same low-production year pattern seen across all Edwardian bronze denominations (1904 penny: 12,910,000 key date; 1904 halfpenny: 8,131,000 key date). The 1904 is consistently the hardest date in EF and above, commanding a modest but real premium over common dates. The 1910 (2,299,000) is lower still in mintage, but its last-year premium and the lower absolute numbers are partially offset by better preservation rates — fewer 1910 farthings were subject to heavy commercial circulation. The 1909 (8,852,000) is paradoxically the highest mintage of the series — the same year that saw relatively low mintages for the halfpenny (8,279,000) and penny (19,620,000). The farthing's production schedule appears to have been on an independent cycle from the larger denominations.
Valuation — Grade Guide
Value Grade Guide:
Common Dates
vs 1904 Key Date
Grade Description Common dates (£) 1904 Key Date (£) 1910 Last Year (£)
Fair / AG Barely identifiable; date readable; coin present £0.15 – £0.75 £0.50 – £1.50 £0.50 – £2
G–VG (4–10) Outlines; Britannia visible; legends legible; date sharp £0.30 – £1.50 £0.50 – £2.50 £0.50 – £3
Fine (12–15) Portrait present; trident defined; Britannia detail present £0.75 – £3 £1.50 – £5 £2 – £6
VF (20–35) Good detail; helmet plume; shield; DES traces £2 – £7 £4 – £12 £5 – £15
EF (40–45) — dark Slight wear; original darkened finish substantially present; sharp devices. This is the ideal grade for the farthing collector. £8 – £14 £14 – £22 £16 – £26
UNC — dark original Uncirculated; original acid-darkened surface intact; full dark-brown finish. Rarer and more valuable than a cleaned bright example. £12 – £20 £18 – £28 £22 – £35
UNC — cleaned / bright Uncirculated but darkening removed; artificially bright copper-red or golden. Technically UNC but original surface destroyed. Discount applies. £5 – £12 £8 – £15 £8 – £18
Values in GBP. Based on allcoinvalues.com per-year pages (1902–1910 ranges), coinscatalog USD prices (F12 $1–3.50; VF20 $5–6.50; XF40 $15–18; MS60 $35–40), and eBay sold prices 2023–2026. The "cleaned/bright UNC" row is specifically included because of the darkening issue — such pieces are commonly offered at UNC prices but are not original. Not investment advice.
Completing the Edwardian Bronze Set
Collect The Three
Bronze Denominations

Edwardian Bronze Denominations at a Glance

Coin Diam. Weight Heaton? Key date Darkened? Low Tide? Set VF cost (approx.)
Penny (KM#794) 30.82mm 9.4g Yes (H) 1902–06 1904 No Yes (1902) £60–120
Halfpenny (KM#793) 25.5mm 5.6g No 1904 No Yes (1902) £40–90
Farthing (KM#792) ★ 20mm 2.8g No 1904 Yes (1897–1917) No £20–40
The farthing completes the Edwardian bronze trilogy. A complete nine-date standard farthing set in VF costs approximately £20–40 total — by far the most affordable complete date run of any Edwardian denomination, silver or bronze. Even including the 1904 key date and the 1910 last-year premium, the total cost barely exceeds £40 in F–VF. The artificial darkening makes the farthing uniquely interesting among the three bronze denominations — it is the only one where "uncirculated original" means "dark," not "bright."
Collecting Notes
Collect What to Look For Key grading and attribution points: (1) Original darkened surface — the most important assessment for any EF or UNC farthing; the surface should show dark brown-to-black artificial toning with warm brown in recesses; any bright red surface on an allegedly high-grade piece is a warning. (2) Britannia's trident — individual prongs at EF; present but merged at VF. (3) The helmet plume — feather outlines at EF. (4) De Saulles's portrait — the brow and collar, though at 20mm detail is inevitably compressed. (5) Date legibility — the date in the reverse exergue should be sharp and fully legible in all grades above F.
Collect Problems to Avoid (1) Cleaned examples presented as UNC — the most common problem specific to the farthing series; a bright copper-red farthing described as uncirculated has had the original darkening removed. (2) Artificial re-darkening — occasionally sellers re-apply sulphurous treatment to a cleaned farthing to simulate the original surface; compare depth and evenness of toning to reference examples. (3) Carbon spots — small dark spots from moisture or atmospheric contamination; common in bronze; reduce value. (4) Medal vs coin alignment confusion — for variety attribution, confirm the medal alignment (↑↑) by the rotation test; unusual if reversed.
Collect Collection Contexts The Edwardian farthing fits into: a complete nine-date set 1902–1910 — the most affordable complete date run of any Edwardian denomination; an Edwardian bronze set (penny, halfpenny, farthing — all three at once, different scales of the same design); a British farthing by monarch type set (1860 to 1956, bronze farthing); a darkened-finish specialist collection (1897–1917, focused specifically on original surfaces); or as the anchor piece of a smallest British coins display alongside the Maundy penny and contemporary miniature types.
Collect Related Coins Natural companions: the Edward VII halfpenny 1902–1910 (KM#793 — same obverse and reverse, 25.5mm, 5.6g; companion article in this series); the Edward VII penny 1902–1910 (KM#794 — same design, 30.82mm, 9.4g; companion article); the Victorian "Bun Penny" farthing 1860–1901 (Wyon portrait, same Britannia reverse — the direct predecessor); the George V farthing 1911–1936 (Mackennal portrait, Wyon reverse modified — immediate successor, no longer darkened from 1917 onward); and for the darkening context, the late-Victorian farthings (1897–1901) which began the darkening practice. The 1902 third-farthing (KM#791 — struck for Malta, different denomination at 15mm) is a related but distinct type.
The Edwardian farthing is the most affordable complete date set of the reign and the most unusual surface story: a coin deliberately made dark to prevent it being passed off as gold. The 1904 key date is scarcer than the others, but in a series where even the key date costs a few pounds in VF, the challenge is finding an original, correctly darkened uncirculated example — not finding the money to buy it.

Sources: Spink Standard Catalogue of British Coins (S.3992)  ·  Freeman, M. The Bronze Coinage of Great Britain, 2nd ed. — F554–565  ·  Numista catalogue entry #5746 — artificially darkened finish explanation (1897–1917); medal alignment ↑↑  ·  coinscatalog.net — complete mintage series (1902–1910); KM#792; 2.8g; 20mm; 1.8mm thick; per-grade USD values  ·  allcoinvalues.com — per-year GBP value pages (1902 first year; 1910 last year; all dates)  ·  ColleConline — 1/3 farthing colonial issue (KM#791 context; de Saulles attribution confirmed)  ·  eBay sold prices 2023–2026 — circulated grade calibration