English three farthing coin facts for kids

The silver three-farthing coin was a small coin used in England. It was worth three-quarters of a penny. This coin was first made during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. It was part of her plan to create many new coins with good metal quality between 1561 and 1582.

What Did the Coin Look Like?

The Front (Obverse) Design

The front of the coin is called the obverse. It showed a picture of Queen Elizabeth I facing to the left. Behind her head, there was a rose. Around the edge of the coin, there was a special message. It said "E D G ROSA SINE SPINA". This means "Elizabeth, by the grace of God a rose without a thorn". It was a way to show her royal power.

The Back (Reverse) Design

The back of the coin is called the reverse. It featured the royal arms, which are like a special shield showing the symbols of the royal family. The year the coin was made was placed above these arms. At the start of the message on the back, there was a mint mark. This mark showed where the coin was made. The message on the back read "CIVITAS LONDON", which means "City of London". This told everyone the coin came from the Tower Mint in London.

How Was It Different from Other Coins?

The three-farthing coin looked a lot like another coin called the three-halfpence. The main difference was their size. The three-farthing coin was about 14 millimeters across. The three-halfpence coin was a bit bigger, at 16 millimeters. This small difference helped people tell them apart.

How Were These Coins Made?

Most of these coins were made using a method called hammered coinage. This meant they were made by hand, by hammering metal into a coin shape. However, there are a very few three-farthing coins from 1563 that were made differently. These were made using a machine process called milled coinage. These milled coins are extremely rare today. Only three of them are known to still exist!