King Henry III Silver Farthing Henri of Canterbury

Code: 12260

This is a medieval silver farthing of King Henry III, struck at the Canterbury mint between 1247 - 1272 AD. 

Obverse: HENRICVS REX "King Henry" Legend around crowned facing portrait, with sceptre in right hand.

Reverse: HENRI.ON.CANTE "Henri of Canterbury"

This coin started life as a penny, but it was necessitated in trade to chop the coins into smaller fractional denominations as halfpennies and farthings. These coins were legal tender and a halfpenny was simply a penny cut in half, whilst farthings (four things) were divided into four parts. 

DENOMINATION: Farthing

CULTURE: Medieval England

MONARCH: Henry III

DATE: 1216 - 1272 AD

MATERIAL: Silver

SIZE: 8mm x 9mm 

WEIGHT: 0.33 grams

ATTRIBUTION: Spink 1356B

PROVENANCE: Formerly in a private collection, in Cambridgeshire.