1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue Proof (1799)
Circulating version: 1799 1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1799 |
| Denomination | 1 Farthing |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | 1869 |
| Composition | Bronze plated copper |
| Diameter | 23.5mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Coin alignment ↑↓ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Laureate and draped bust of King George III facing right, legend around, date below.
Seated figure of Britannia facing left, trident in left hand, shield with Union flag resting on left, olive branch in raised right hand, legend above, denomination in exergue.
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1799 1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue – Proof
The 1799 1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue – Proof is a collector 1 farthing coin, struck in bronze plated copper. It measures 23.5mm across. Reverse design: Seated figure of Britannia facing left, trident in left hand, shield with Union flag resting on left, olive branch in raised right hand, legend above, denomination in exergue.
It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1869), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1799 1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue – Proof worth?
No verified sale of the 1799 1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue – Proof has been logged on MyCoinage yet.
What is a bronzed 1799 farthing?
A proof of Boulton's 1799 Soho farthing struck in copper and given a bronzed finish. CoinVarieties lists it as a catalogue type of its own, KM 646b (Peck 1276), alongside the copper currency coin and the gilt-copper proof.
How many bronzed 1799 proof farthings were made?
No figure is recorded for the bronzed proofs. The circulating 1799 farthing had a mintage of 4,225,428 according to Coin Hunter, but no separate figure exists for any of the proof finishes.
Can a bronzed 1799 farthing be spent?
No. Proofs were never intended for circulation, and in any case Tony Clayton records that all copper farthings were demonetised on 31 December 1869, with the Mint exchanging them until 30 July 1873.
How is the 1799 1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue – Proof different from the circulating coin?
This is a collector version of the 1799 1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue, not the coin found in change.
How do I identify the 1799 1 Farthing - George III 3rd issue – Proof?
Check the diameter 23.5mm and the metal (bronze plated copper) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Matthew Boulton's Soho Mint struck the 1799 farthing under a licence granted that year, and it was the first British coin to carry the name of its denomination. Besides the currency coins in plain copper, proofs were made in gilt copper and in bronzed copper, a darkened surface finish. CoinVarieties lists the bronzed version as KM 646b and Peck 1276.
No figure is recorded for the number of bronzed proofs struck. CoinVarieties illustrates one sold by Heritage in 2018, which the auction house described as a scarcer type struck in bronzed copper with reflective fields.
The design is the same as the circulating coin's. The obverse has a laureate and draped bust of George III facing right with GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA REX and the date 1799 below. The reverse shows Britannia seated left with olive branch and trident beside the union shield, a ship sailing in the background, BRITANNIA above and 1 FARTHING below. Culture Perth and Kinross holds a copper proof or pattern of 1799 measuring 23.3 mm.
Collecting notes
A bronzed proof should show the even brown finish over reflective fields, as on the Heritage example. Compare with the gilt proof and the 1799 currency farthing, struck to the number of 4,225,428 according to Coin Hunter.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Great Britain 1799 farthing, CoinVarieties (read 12 Oct 2026)
- History of the British farthing, Wikipedia (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Seaby 3779: Goldberg sale 31, lot 2503, proof farthing 1799, Wildwinds (catalogue text courtesy of Goldberg Auctioneers) (read 12 Oct 2026)
- 1799 Coin Values, George III, Coin Hunter (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Farthings, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 12 Oct 2026)
- Proof or pattern farthing, 1799 (BC677), Culture Perth and Kinross, via Museum Data Service (read 12 Oct 2026)
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