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1 Farthing - Victoria 1st portrait bronzed (1839–1853)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1839–1853 |
| Denomination | 1 Farthing |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Demonetised | 1869 |
| Composition | Bronze plated copper |
| Weight | 4.720g |
| Diameter | 22.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | William Wyon |
| Rev. artist | William Wyon |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned bust ('Young Head') of Queen Victoria facing left, legend around, date below.
VICTORIA DEI GRATIA
Seated figure of Britannia facing right, trident in left hand, shield with Union flag in right hand, legend around, national flower emblems in exergue
bronzed Farthing market value
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Affiliatebronzed Farthing price history
Daily limit reachedbronzed Farthing 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FDC | £440.00 🔒 | £440.00 (1) | – | £160.00 – £550.00 | 0 | 15 | 02-06-2024 | |
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| UNC | £700.00 🔒 | £700.00 (1) | – | £400.00 – £700.00 | 0 | 3 | 04-12-2022 | |
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| PR-64 | £641.65 🔒 | £545.83 (2) | – | £450.00 – £675.00 | 1 | 3 | 12-01-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £830.79 🔒 | £679.40 | – | £340.00 – £830.79 | 1 | 4 | 03-08-2026 | |
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About the 1839 1 Farthing - Victoria – bronzed
The 1839 1 Farthing - Victoria – bronzed is a collector 1 farthing coin issued from 1839 to 1853, struck in bronze plated copper. It weighs 4.72g and measures 22mm across. Reverse design: Seated figure of Britannia facing right, trident in left hand, shield with Union flag in right hand, legend around, national flower emblems in exergue.
It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1869), so its value is to collectors only.
Common questions
How much is the 1839 1 Farthing - Victoria – bronzed worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1839 1 Farthing - Victoria – bronzed run from £440 to £700 across 4 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
What is a bronzed 1839 farthing?
It is a proof farthing struck in copper with a bronzed surface finish. The Royal Mint Museum's own example, RMM 4187, is catalogued as a bronzed copper proof farthing of 1839 weighing 4.7 g with a plain edge. It is not a bronze-alloy coin.
How many bronzed 1839 farthings were made?
No figure for the proofs is recorded. The 4,300,800 figure that collector references give for 1839 is the ordinary circulating copper farthing, not these bronzed proofs, which were never issued for circulation.
Is the bronzed farthing a different coin from the 1838 to 1860 copper farthing?
It is the same design, William Wyon's Young Head with seated Britannia, given a proof striking and a bronzed finish. The ordinary copper farthings of the reign were struck every year from 1838 to 1860 and went into circulation.
Is the 1839 farthing still legal tender?
No. Copper farthings were demonetised on 31 December 1869, as the new bronze coinage of 1860 replaced them. Tony Clayton notes that they could still be handed in for exchange until 30 July 1873.
How do I identify the 1839 1 Farthing - Victoria – bronzed?
Check the weight 4.72g and diameter 22mm and the metal (bronze plated copper) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Copper farthings were struck in every year from 1838 to 1860, and the first coins of the new reign reached circulation in the summer of 1838. Alongside the working coins the Mint struck proofs, and some of these were finished as bronzed copper, a coloured surface on a copper coin rather than a different alloy. They were not issued for circulation.
The Royal Mint Museum holds a bronzed copper proof farthing of 1839, catalogued as RMM 4187 and Peck 1556. No mintage is recorded for these proofs. The 4,300,800 that Coin Hunter gives for 1839 is the circulating copper farthing. Copper farthings were demonetised on 31 December 1869, after the bronze coinage of 1860 had replaced them.
The obverse carries William Wyon's Young Head of Victoria facing left, with VICTORIA DEI GRATIA around and the date below, and W.W. on the truncation. The Royal Mint Museum says this portrait, approved for the coinage in 1838, takes pride of place among Wyon's portraits of the Queen, and that it flattered her enough that she kept it on the coins into her late sixties.
The reverse is Britannia seated facing right with shield and trident, BRITANNIAR: REG: FID: DEF: around, and rose, thistle and shamrock in the exergue. Clayton credits the farthing design of 1826, which this continues, to Wyon. The museum's example weighs 4.7 g and has a plain edge.
Collecting notes
A proof should show a sharp, fully struck design on both sides, and the weight should be close to the museum's 4.7 g. Colour alone does not prove a bronzed finish, so judge an example by the quality of its strike and fields as well as its surface.
Clayton's value guide lists an 1839 proof farthing and an 1853 proof without separating finishes. The circulating version of the type is the Young Head copper farthing of 1838 to 1860.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Victoria proof farthing, 1839 (RMM 4187), The Royal Mint Museum, via Museum Data Service (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Farthings, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- William Wyon, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 1839 coin values, Coin Hunter (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Fractional Farthings, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Values of Farthings, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
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