1 Farthing - Victoria 3rd portrait (1895–1901)

One row for each year the 1 Farthing - Victoria 3rd portrait was struck. Prices are medians of verified sold listings matched to that year from the listing: circulated is worn condition up to Extremely Fine, uncirculated is About Uncirculated or better. A count in brackets means fewer than three sales behind the figure; a grey figure marked "type" is the median across every year, shown where that year has no sale of its own yet. Most types have been searched year by year only since October 2026, so later years are still filling in. Use the grade table below for a price by condition across all years.

About the 1895 1 Farthing - Victoria

The 1895 1 Farthing - Victoria is a circulating 1 farthing coin issued from 1895 to 1901, struck in bronze (95% Cu, 4% Sn, 1% Zn). It weighs 2.83g and measures 20mm across. Reverse design: Seated figure of Britannia right, trident in left hand, shield with Union flag in right hand, denomination above, sea behind, date in exergue.

Mintage figures are recorded for 7 years between 1895 and 1901, 32,961,550 coins in all. 1895 is the scarcest date, with 2,852,850 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1960), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

Thomas Brock's veiled portrait of the Queen, the Old Head, replaced the Jubilee portrait on the gold and silver coins in 1893. The bronze coins had kept Leonard Charles Wyon's bun head of 1860 throughout, and changed only in 1895, so that year has farthings of both portraits. At the same time George William de Saulles redesigned the bronze reverses.

Coin Hunter and Wikipedia agree on every figure. The 1895 total of 2,852,852 covers both types and is not split. From 1896 output rose from 3,668,610 to 8,016,460 in 1901, a total of 30,108,883 for those six years. The farthing was demonetised at the end of 1960.

The obverse shows Brock's veiled portrait of Victoria, with VICTORIA DEI GRA BRITT REGINA FID DEF IND IMP around, the title Empress of India now included. De Saulles executed the dies.

The reverse keeps Britannia seated with trident and shield, FARTHING above and the date below, but de Saulles removed the lighthouse and ship that had flanked her since 1860. The same reverse continued on Edward VII's farthings. The edge is plain.

Varieties and errors

Clayton records two reverses for 1897: one with the sea higher than usual and one at the normal level. The high sea version is marginally more common, and both come bright and darkened. No other varieties or mint errors are documented for the type.

Collecting notes

From 1897 farthings left the Mint artificially darkened, because a bright one could be passed off as a half sovereign. Clayton notes a consequence: an almost uncirculated darkened farthing can look like a worn coin at a glance, so judge the grade by detail rather than colour. 1895 and 1896 are bright, and 1897 can be found either way.

The type follows the bun head farthing of 1874 to 1895. The same reverse continued on the Edward VII farthing.