The George I copper farthings of 1723–24 were produced under a contract system the Crown had relied on since the reign of Charles II — private patentees supplying copper coinage rather than the Mint operating on its own account. By 1723 this arrangement was already under strain, and complaints about lightweight, poorly finished pieces were persistent enough that parliamentary scrutiny of the copper coinage would intensify through the decade. The 'DEI GRATIA' obverse legend distinguishes these from the earlier 1717–18 issues, a detail that mattered to contemporary collectors even then.
The George I copper farthings of 1723–24 were produced under a contract system the Crown had relied on since the reign of Charles II — private patentees supplying copper coinage rather than the Mint operating on its own account. By 1723 this arrangement was already under strain, and complaints about lightweight, poorly finished pieces were persistent enough that parliamentary scrutiny of the copper coinage would intensify through the decade. The 'DEI GRATIA' obverse legend distinguishes these from the earlier 1717–18 issues, a detail that mattered to contemporary collectors even then.