Farthing

Farthing was a unit of currency in the United Kingdom and its territories, equal to one quarter of a penny. In pre-decimal currency it was 4 farthings per penny and 960 farthings per pound, with 12 pence in a shilling and 20 shillings in a pound. The farthing was typically minted in copper or bronze and served as a small denomination in everyday transactions for centuries.

The farthing’s origins date to medieval England and it remained in circulation through the 18th and 19th centuries, often bearing the monarch’s effigy and national symbols. As coin sizes and metal values changed, the designs and metals varied, with later issues being smaller and more modest in appearance. It functioned alongside other coins such as the halfpenny, penny, and threepence.

Legal tender status declined in the mid-20th century; the farthing ceased to be legal tender in 1960, and it was gradually withdrawn from daily use as part of broader coinage reforms. With decimalization in 1971, the old fractional coins were replaced by a new system and the farthing no longer existed as a circulating unit. Today it survives mainly as a historical note and in numismatic collections.

Etymology: The name farthing derives from Old English feorthing, meaning a fourth part of a penny. The term has endured in literature and idioms to denote something very small, though it is rarely encountered in modern monetary practice.