The Richmond farthings were struck under a patent granted to Esme Stuart, Duke of Richmond, who held the right to produce Irish copper coinage as a private monopoly — a Crown arrangement that generated considerable resentment among Dublin merchants who found the coins chronically underweight and easy to counterfeit. Type 12 represents one of the later die iterations within this short-lived patent series, which collapsed under complaints before Richmond's grant could be renewed.
The Richmond farthings were struck under a patent granted to Esme Stuart, Duke of Richmond, who held the right to produce Irish copper coinage as a private monopoly — a Crown arrangement that generated considerable resentment among Dublin merchants who found the coins chronically underweight and easy to counterfeit. Type 12 represents one of the later die iterations within this short-lived patent series, which collapsed under complaints before Richmond's grant could be renewed.