Medieval English Hammered Farthings: Henry VI - York

This online guide is designed to help

• Metal Detector enthusiasts
• Museum Curators
• Coin Dealers & Collectors

accurately identify and classify their English Hammered Farthings.

---

Overview:

A number of different mintmarks were used during the reign of Henry VI - allowing for the accurate dating of farthings. Full flan coins are difficult to find. This makes collecting farthings from this period an interesting and challenging task.

At the Pyx trial of silver coins minted between 16 October 1423 to 7 August 1424 at the York mint, the largest denominiation represented were farthings - 53 farthings, signifying that 36 percent of all silver coins minted at York during this period were farthings. Yet, there are very few examples known.

---

Date: 1422-1427
Mint: York
Type: ANNULET ISSUE¹

Diameter: 10mm
Weight: 0.21g (3¾ grains²)
Purity: 0.925 silver

Obverse: +hEnRIC xREX xAnGL
    Lis at neck. Thin neck. Mintmark is a "cross pommee."
Reverse: CIVI TAS EBO RACI
    "Long Cross" with three pellets in each quarter.

Reference(s):
  W.A.1
  S.1852A
  N.-
Scarcity: Extremely Rare

Guide Price:
  £200 (Fine)
  £425 (Very Fine)

Sold by:

• An example of this coin (from the collection of Marvin Lessen) is in Withers: Small Change III.

Note:
  When Withers was researching "Small Change III" in 2003, only one
  example of this coin was know.

---

¹ COOK, BJ. December 1998: 'A Farthing of Henry VI's Annulet Issue
  from York' Spinks Numismatic Circular p. 428

² SEABY, BA. (ed) 1948: Notes on English Silver Coins 1066-1648 to help
  collectors in their classification (London, Seaby). pp 87

---