1947 AD., Great Britain, George VI, Royal mint London, Farthing, KM 843.
Great Britain, George VI, Royal mint London, engravers: Thomas Humphrey Paget (obverse) and Harold Wilson Parker (reverse), 1940 AD.,
Farthing (20 mm / 2,84 g), bronze, mintage 14.746.000 , medal alignment ↑↑, smooth edge,
Obv.: GEORGIVS VI D: G: BR: OMN: REX F: D: IND: IMP. , his bare head facing left, initials HP below truncation.
Rev.: 1947 / FARTHING , a Wren standing left, HWP -monogram to right below byrd.
KM 843 ; Spink 4116 ; Peck 2477 ; Freeman 648 .
A farthing (derived from the Anglo-Saxon feorthing, a fourthling or fourth part) was a coin of England, Great Britain, and finally of the United Kingdom, worth one quarter of a penny, 1/960th of a pound sterling. Such coins were first minted in England in the 13th century, and continued to be used until 31 December 1960, when they ceased to be legal tender.
Early farthings were silver, but surviving examples are rare. The first copper farthings were issued during the reign of King James I and VI, who gave a licence for minting to John Harington, 1st Baron Harington of Exton. Licences were subsequently given out until after the Commonwealth, when the Royal Mint resumed production in 1672.