Rarely sells: 1 verified sales in the last 12 months.
1 Farthing Staffordshire - Willenhall (1844)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1844 |
| Denomination | 1 Farthing |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Copper |
| Diameter | 21.0mm |
| Thickness | 1.00mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
| Spink | S# 891191PCGS |
Legend on five lines, the bottom curved. Beaded border
A padlock, door bolt, and curry-comb in centre with
1 Farthing Staffordshire - Willenhall market value
Find this on eBay
Affiliate1 Farthing Staffordshire - Willenhall price history
Daily limit reached1 Farthing Staffordshire - Willenhall 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 | £15.49 🔒 eBay | £15.49 (1) | – | £15.49 – £15.49 | 1 | 1 | 21-06-2026 | |
|
Loading…
|
||||||||
About the 1844 1 Farthing Staffordshire - Willenhall
The 1844 1 Farthing Staffordshire - Willenhall is a collector 1 farthing coin, struck in copper. It measures 21mm across. Reverse design: A padlock, door bolt, and curry-comb in centre with.
Common questions
How much is the 1844 1 Farthing Staffordshire - Willenhall worth?
The 1844 1 Farthing Staffordshire - Willenhall has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £15.49 in VF, the median of its verified sales.
Who issued the 1844 Willenhall farthing token?
The version with the shop name set out in five lines was issued for Austin's Family Tea and Grocery Establishment in Willenhall. Norfolk Museums and the Fitzwilliam Museum both record Austin as the issuer. A second 1844 Willenhall token with the same motto names Rushbrooke's establishment instead.
Is the Willenhall farthing token legal tender?
No, and it never was. It is a private grocer's token rather than a coin of the Royal Mint. An Act of 1817 had forbidden the manufacture of private token coinage, and pieces like this served locally as small change and advertising, not as official currency.
Is Willenhall in Staffordshire or Warwickshire?
Willenhall was formerly in Staffordshire and now lies in the West Midlands. Museum records are not consistent: Amgueddfa Cymru files its 1844 Willenhall farthings under Staffordshire, while Norfolk Museums catalogues the Austin's piece as a Warwickshire token.
How many were made?
No mintage is recorded. The token was a private order for one shop, so no official production figures exist. Paul and Bente Withers' The Token Book 2, which researches the issuers of unofficial farthings, is the reference to consult for how often it appears.
How do I identify the 1844 1 Farthing Staffordshire - Willenhall?
Check the diameter 21mm and the metal (copper) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
This is a private shop token from Willenhall dated 1844. Its five-line legend matches the token of Austin's Family Tea and Grocery Establishment, and both Norfolk Museums and the Fitzwilliam Museum record Austin as the issuer of that piece. It was never a Royal Mint coin and never legal tender: a token is issued by a private entity, whereas a legal tender coin comes from a governmental authority.
Private token coinage had been outlawed by an Act of 1817, but farthing-sized shop pieces returned in Victoria's reign. Bill McKivor's archive at the Canadian Token Collectors Club describes these unofficial farthings as struck largely by merchants between 1837 and 1870, serving as advertising and as small change where needed. No mintage is known.
Norfolk Museums records the shop side as AUSTIN'S / FAMILY TEA / AND / GROCERY / ESTABLISHMENT in the field. The other side carries a bolt, a padlock and a comb, with the motto LET WILLENHALL FLOURISH and the date 1844. There is no royal portrait, and the die maker is not recorded.
The tools reflect the town. Willenhall, formerly in Staffordshire, is known for locks and keys, and its hand trades by the late 17th century included curry combs, bolts and latches. Rushbrooke's, another Willenhall grocer, issued an 1844 token with the same motto and tools, recorded by Chippenham Museum.
Collecting notes
Museums file the piece in different places: Norfolk Museums calls it a Warwickshire token, while Amgueddfa Cymru holds 1844 Willenhall farthings catalogued under Staffordshire. Look the type up under both counties in older lists. The references are R. C. Bell's Unofficial Farthings 1820 to 1870 with its 1994 supplement, and the Withers' The Token Book 2.
Examples were used hard. The Norfolk Museums piece is in fair condition, pierced at the top, and its transcription puts the H of WILLENHALL in square brackets. Check the shop name first, because the Willenhall side alone does not separate this token from the Rushbrooke's farthing.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Token, Warwickshire token of Austin's Grocery, Willenhall, 1844 (NWHCM : 1999.81.176), Norfolk Museums Service, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- British Isles: CM.QC.4118-R (token, issuer Austin, Willenhall, 1844), The Fitzwilliam Museum (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)
- Token coin, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Willenhall, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Unofficial farthing: Staffordshire (Willenhall), 1844 (04.537), Amgueddfa Cymru - Museum Wales, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Trade token, Rushbrooke's Establishment, Willenhall, 1844 (CHIYH:2024.67.6), Chippenham Museum, via Museum Data Service (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)
More 1 Farthing coins from nearby years
