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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Jimski, post: 2714133, member: 77373&quot;]James I, farthing, S-2676, Harington (Spink’s spelling) type 2.&nbsp; Minted 1613-15 (date identified by Cinquefoil mintmark).&nbsp; 8.4 grains.&nbsp; 15 mm.[ATTACH=full]613450[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]613451[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]613454[/ATTACH]</p><p><b>Patent Farthings found in Jamestown:</b>&nbsp; (Taken from <a href="http://historicjamestowne.org/selected-artifacts/english-coins-2/" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://historicjamestowne.org/selected-artifacts/english-coins-2/" rel="nofollow">http://historicjamestowne.org/selected-artifacts/english-coins-2/</a> ) </p><p><br /></p><p><i>English coins were made in only gold or silver until 1613, when James I granted a patent to Lord Harrington to produce copper royal farthings. Initially coated with tin to look like silver, the so-called Harrington farthing was not worth the copper used to produce it and was rejected by people in England. </i>[Jimski - The Harington type 2 was not tin plated] <i>So far <b>25 of these coins have been found at Jamestown</b>. The patent for the copper farthing passed to the Duke of Lennox, and the coins continued to be made in the reign of Charles I. These coins brought enormous profits to the patent holders but were so unpopular with the general public that Parliament discontinued them in 1644. In 1636 a rose replaced the crowned harp on the farthing. <b>Four “rose farthings” have been uncovered at the site.</b></i></p><p><i><b><br /></b></i></p><p>From the site: “The Coins of Colonial and Early America”.&nbsp; A Project of the Robert H. Gore, Jr. Numismatic Endowment, University of Notre Dame, Department of Special Collections, by Louis Jordan. <a href="http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinContents/Introduction.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinContents/Introduction.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.coins.nd.edu/ColCoin/ColCoinContents/Introduction.html</a>&nbsp; </p><p>[Jimski – this is the best site I have found for information about Colonial and Post-Colonial Early American coins.] </p><p><br /></p><p><i>A few of these tokens must have also been brought to Massachusetts Bay, where the Puritans did not want to have anything to do with the hated coins. Indeed, they preferred to use musket balls to these lightweight products of the profiteers. The first legislation of the Massachusetts General Court regarding money, passed on March 4, 1635 stated: (quoted from Crosby, p. 26)</i></p><p><br /></p><p><i>It is ordered that hereafter farthings shall not passe for currant pay. -</i></p><p><i>It is likewise ordered, that muskett bulletts of a full boare shall passe currantly for a farthing apeece, provided that noe [i.e. no] man be compelled to take above xiid [12d, that is a shilling] att a tyme in them.</i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i>(Taken from <a href="http://www.aboutfarthings.co.uk/images/forum/Farthing%20Tokens.pdf" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.aboutfarthings.co.uk/images/forum/Farthing%20Tokens.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.aboutfarthings.co.uk/images/forum/Farthing Tokens.pdf</a>&nbsp; ) </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><i>There is a common misconception that all of these farthing tokens were intended for use in Ireland due to the harp design on the reverse, but the two sceptres and crown on the obverse were used to represent England and Scotland.</i></i></p><p><i><i><br /></i></i></p><p>Jimski - The Notre Dame site says the coins &quot;<i>were to be used throughout the realm.&quot;&nbsp; </i></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p>Why were these coins unpopular?&nbsp; Well ... the Notre Dame site says that the coins were authorized to be 9 grains, and &quot;<i>(under Elizabeth I, a halfpenny would need to be over 175 grains).&quot;&nbsp; </i>That would make the intrinsic value of a farthing 87 grains. The coins were minted at 1/10 their intrinsic value. </p><p>&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i></i>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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