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1 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich / Wilsons (1839)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1839 |
| Denomination | 1 Farthing |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | Yes |
| Composition | Copper |
| Weight | 3.660g |
| Diameter | 21.3mm |
| Thickness | 1.36mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
| Spink | S# 891713PCGS |
Legend on three lines in centre and round periphery
The Arms of the City of Norwich consisting of a triple-towered castle above a lion passant
1 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich / Wilsons market value
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Daily limit reached1 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich / Wilsons value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VF | £36.29 🔒 eBay | £20.65 (2) | – | £5.00 – £36.29 | 1 | 2 | 24-08-2026 | |
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About the 1839 1 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich / Wilsons
The 1839 1 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich / Wilsons is a collector 1 farthing coin, struck in copper. It weighs 3.66g and measures 21.27mm across. Reverse design: The Arms of the City of Norwich consisting of a triple-towered castle above a lion passant.
It is no longer legal tender, so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1839 1 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich / Wilsons worth?
The 1839 1 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich / Wilsons has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £20.65 in VF, the median of its verified sales.
Is the Wilson's Norwich farthing a real coin?
No. It is a token made for Wilson's, confectioners and bakers of Norwich, and dated 1839. It was never issued by the Royal Mint and never legal tender. Pieces like this were shop tokens, used locally as small change and as advertising for the business.
Who were Wilson's of Norwich?
Museum records describe the issuer as Wilson, confectioner and baker, of Norwich. Norfolk Museums and the Fitzwilliam Museum both date their examples to 1839. A first name and shop address for the business were not found in any museum record.
How many Wilson's tokens were made?
No mintage is recorded, since the token was a private order and not an official coinage. It does survive in some numbers: Norfolk Museums holds several examples in its Norwich and Great Yarmouth collections, and the Fitzwilliam Museum has two.
What do the castle and lion on Norwich tokens mean?
They are the arms of the City of Norwich: a triple-towered, domed silver castle on a red shield, with a gold lion passant guardant below. The arms appeared on a 15th-century seal and were confirmed at a heraldic visitation in 1562.
How do I identify the 1839 1 Farthing Norfolk - Norwich / Wilsons?
Check the weight 3.66g and diameter 21.27mm and the metal (copper) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Wilson's farthing is a Norwich shop token dated 1839, issued for Wilson's, confectioners and bakers. It is a private token, never a coin of the Royal Mint and never legal tender. Tokens are coin-like pieces issued by a private entity, whereas a legal tender coin is issued by a governmental authority.
The date places it in the first years of Victoria's reign, when traders again had farthing-sized pieces struck despite an Act of 1817 that had forbidden private token coinage under severe penalties. Bill McKivor's archive at the Canadian Token Collectors Club describes these unofficial farthings as struck mainly by merchants from 1837 to 1870 and used both as advertising and as small change where needed. No mintage is recorded.
The site's catalogue describes a legend in three lines in the centre and around the edge on one side, and the arms of the City of Norwich on the other: a triple-towered castle above a lion passant. Norfolk Museums describes its examples as copper, and the Fitzwilliam measures its pair at 22 mm.
The Norwich arms are blazoned as a triple-towered, domed silver castle on red with a gold lion passant guardant below, and appear on a 15th-century seal. The die maker is not recorded.
Collecting notes
The Wilson's token is well represented in Norfolk's museum collections. Norfolk Museums holds several in its Great Yarmouth and Norwich collections, one given in 1972 together with Norwich farthing tokens of a draper dated 1847 and a game dealer dated 1852. The Fitzwilliam Museum has two on loan from Queens' College, Cambridge.
For identification, the standard works are R. C. Bell's Unofficial Farthings 1820 to 1870 with its 1994 supplement, and Paul and Bente Withers' The Token Book 2, whose issuers are researched from directories and census returns. For a later Norwich token with the city arms, see the Chamberlin draper's piece of 1847.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Trade token, Norwich copper trade token, Wilson 1839, confectioner and baker (GRYEH : 1957.53), Norfolk Museums Service, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Token, issuer Wilson (confectioner & baker, Norwich), 1839 (CM.QC.4157-R), Fitzwilliam Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Token, 3 x 19th Norwich farthing tokens for Wilson, confectioner (1839), Chamberlain, draper (1847) and Barnard, game dealer (1852) (NWHCM : 1972.442), Norfolk Museums Service, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Object search: Wilson Norwich token, Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Norwich City Council (Coat of arms), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 19th Century English Unofficial Farthings 1838-1870: Introduction, Canadian Token Collectors Club (Bill McKivor archive) (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Token coin, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Penny (British pre-decimal coin), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- O'Brien Coin Guide: The Unofficial Irish Token Coinages of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), The Old Currency Exchange (read 10 Oct 2026)
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