Great Britain 1/3, 1/2 and 1 Farthing, and 1/2 and 1 Penny 1821 to 1831

The coin in our picture is in beautiful condition, with little to no wear and excellent eye appeal. It comes from Tony Clayton. Nice

British pennies are large, artistic, intriguing coins. There are several smaller coins with almost identical designs. This page gives approximate values for all of these.

PENNY: 32 mm diameter
1/2 PENNY: 27 mm
FARTHING: 20 mm
1/2 FARTHING: 17 mm
1/3 FARTHING: 15 mm

Here's a run-down of approximate catalog values for George IV pennies:

PENNY
worn: $10 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $80
well preserved: $400
fully uncirculated: $800
pennies dated 1827 are rare and catalog at $1200 when average circulated, $18000 when fully uncirculated. Beware of counterfeits or tooled dates!

1/2 PENNY
worn: $10 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $30
well preserved: $200
fully uncirculated: $500
Half pennies dated 1825 are less common and catalog at $60 average circulated, $300 well preserved.

FARTHING
worn: $5 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $20
well preserved: $120
fully uncirculated: $200
Some farthings dated 1823 have an 'I' instead of a '1' in the date (i.e. I823). Such coins are scarce and catalog at $130 average circulated, $450 well preserved.
On some farthings dated 1826, the R in the word 'GRATIA' was corrected from an E. The remnants of the E underneath can still be seen on better coins. Such specimens are scarce and catalog at $120 avgerage circulated, $400 well preserved.

1/2 FARTHING
worn: $10 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $50
well preserved: $250
fully uncirculated: $500
Some 1830 half farthings show a 'small date' detectable by experienced collectors. These are worth about twice as much as 'normal date' coins.

1/3 FARTHING
worn: $8 US dollars approximate catalog value
average circulated: $15
well preserved: $80
fully uncirculated: $270

Use our Important Terminology link to properly interpret these catalog values.

Brown/green oxidation on these coins is common. It is sometimes called 'bronze disease' among coin collectors, but is more accurately referred to as verdigris. Chemically, it is the acetate salt of copper. I have heard, but I have never done it, that soaking a coin in olive oil for a long, long time somehow removes the verdigris. If your coin were valuable, I'd never try it.
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