The E-Sylum:  Volume 4, Number 16, April 15, 2001, Article 4

HALFPENNIES AND FARTHINGS OF EDWARD I AND II 

   E-Sylum subscriber Paul Withers announces his new book: 
   "SMALL CHANGE  - I  The Halfpennies and Farthings of 
   Edward I and II  A new illustrated classification guide.  Paul 
   and Bente R Withers.  A5 Card covers  60pp.   Illustrated 
   throughout with 4 : 1 illustrations  £10 or in the USA, 19$ 
   (Including postage). 

   In the summer of 1278 much of the 'long cross' coinage, 
   which had been in circulation for 30 years, was clipped 
   and worn.  As a result, a year later a new coinage and a 
   recoinage occurred together.  It was a watershed in British 
   numismatics and economics. 

   There were changes of manufacturing technique and artistic 
   changes too, and the people were presented with a handsome 
   new coinage with a realistic portrait and although it in no way 
   resembles Edward himself, it is in strict contrast to the stylised 
   and rather ugly visage of the earlier coin which is an example 
   of the 'this is the best I can do with a few simple punches' 
   school. 

   Until that time, in order to make small change for minor 
   transactions, the penny had been cut into halves, or quarters 
   to make halfpennies and farthings.  To prevent the necessity 
   of such cutting, which gave the opportunity for fraud, two 
   round coins, the farthing and the halfpenny were introduced, 
   the first-mentioned introduced immediately the reforms began 
   and the second a short while later. 

   Large hoards of the pence have provided sufficient quantities 
   of material to permit extensive study.  However, the halfpennies 
   and farthings, never hoarded, were rare until the the advent of 
   the metal detector, and even now remain scarce.  Frustrated 
   by the lack of a book that catalogued these tiny coins without 
   causing confusion we asked several people to write a guide 
   that would explain to people like ourselves with only a little 
   knowledge of the series exactly what was going on and why 
   were we finding so many pieces that did not fit into the system. 
   No one wrote anything for us, so we were forced to do the 
   job ourselves. 

   Once our study had begun it became obvious that the coins 
   could not be classified using the same system as that used 
   for the pence.  Whilst the pence are quite obviously 'related' 
   to the halfpence and the farthings and broad similarities are 
   evident, the fine details are not the same.  When isolated 
   examples are seen, things may initially seem to match, but 
   when hundreds of specimens are seen the coins develop 
   their own pattern and any system of classification must 
   reflect that natural pattern and not the system developed 
   for the pence. 

   The new classification is based principally on the David 
   Rogers collection, but others, including those of the British 
   Museum, the Fox collection, now in the Fitzwilliam Museum 
   Cambridge, the Ashmolean Museum collection and several 
   small private collections were examined." 
   Web site: http://www.galata.co.uk/ 

  Wayne Homren, Editor

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