1/2 Farthing - Victoria 1st portrait, incl. Colonial

The half farthing was retained through Victoria's early reign primarily for use in Ceylon, where it circulated as an equivalent to the local two-thirds of a cent. By the 1840s it had effectively ceased to function as everyday currency in Britain itself — too small in purchasing power to be practical. Parliament formally demonetized it for domestic use in 1869, though production had already tapered off well before that.

The 1839 issue included a proof striking for collectors, part of a broader set produced that year coinciding with the first year of Victorian coinage.