1 Farthing Monmouthshire - Chepstow / T. Perkins (1861–1871)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1861–1871 |
| Denomination | 1 Farthing |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Bronze |
| Diameter | 22.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Portrait left, legend around.
Advertising across seven lines, first and last curved.
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1861 1 Farthing Monmouthshire - Chepstow / T. Perkins
The 1861 1 Farthing Monmouthshire - Chepstow / T. Perkins is a collector 1 farthing coin issued from 1861 to 1871, struck in bronze. It measures 22mm across. Reverse design: Advertising across seven lines, first and last curved.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1861 1 Farthing Monmouthshire - Chepstow / T. Perkins worth?
No verified sale of the 1861 1 Farthing Monmouthshire - Chepstow / T. Perkins has been logged on MyCoinage yet.
Is the T. Perkins Chepstow farthing a real coin?
No. Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales, catalogues it as an advertising token of T. Perkins. It is the size of a farthing but was a private piece made for a trader, not a coin of the Royal Mint, and was never legal tender.
When was the T. Perkins token made?
Museum Wales dates its two examples only broadly, to the mid 19th century, within a range of 1826 to 1874. Its records give no exact year, and the catalogue's 1861 date is not yet confirmed.
What is the T. Perkins token made of?
Museum Wales records both of its examples as copper, 22 mm across, weighing 3.05 g and 3.22 g. That is the size of a farthing, which is why collectors group it with the Victorian unofficial farthings.
Where can I see a T. Perkins token?
Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales, holds two, with accession numbers NRO 290 and 41.261/10.1. The second was bought by the museum in November 1941. Both records are published through the Museum Data Service.
How do I identify the 1861 1 Farthing Monmouthshire - Chepstow / T. Perkins?
Check the diameter 22mm and the metal (bronze) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Victorian traders often had small pieces struck the size of a farthing to give out over the counter. The Canadian Token Collectors Club archive describes them as unofficial farthings, made mainly for merchants between 1837 and 1870 and used both as advertising and as small change where needed. They had no legal standing: an Act of 1817 had forbidden the manufacture of private token coinage.
This entry is catalogued as the token of T. Perkins of Chepstow in Monmouthshire. Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales, holds two examples and files them as advertising tokens, dating the type broadly to the mid 19th century. No mintage is recorded.
Museum Wales records the token as copper, 22 mm across, with its two examples weighing 3.05 g and 3.22 g. The catalogue entry describes a portrait of Queen Victoria facing left with a legend around it on one side, and seven lines of advertising on the other, the first and last curved. The engraver and maker are not recorded.
Collecting notes
Pieces like this belong with tokens rather than with the regal farthings they imitate in size. The reference works on the series are R. C. Bell's book on unofficial farthings, updated by Bell, Whitmore and Sweeney in 1994, and Paul and Bente Withers' The Token Book 2.
Read the advertising side carefully on any example, since the issuer's name, trade and street are what tie a piece to Perkins and to Chepstow. The museum's measurements, 22 mm and 3.05 g to 3.22 g, give a fair guide to what a genuine example should be. Museum Wales bought one of its two examples in November 1941, and both are now published online through the Museum Data Service.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Advertising token; T. Perkins (NRO 290), Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Advertising token; T. Perkins (41.261/10.1), Amgueddfa Cymru, Museum Wales, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 19th Century English Unofficial Farthings 1838-1870: Introduction, Canadian Token Collectors Club (Bill McKivor archive) (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Penny (British pre-decimal coin), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
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