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1 Farthing - James II 2nd type
| Issuer | England |
|---|---|
| Year | 1687 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Farthing (1⁄960) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Diameter | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Draped bust of King James II facing right, rendered in high relief with elaborate drapery at the shoulder. The effigy is encircled by a Latin legend reading IACOBVS SECVNDVS, disposed around the periphery of the field. The portrait displays the characteristic late Stuart style with flowing hair and a prominent profile. A square copper plug is visible at the centre of the tin field, characteristic of the bimetallic construction employed for this issue. |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Incuse date |
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| Additional information |
James II inherited a farthing coinage already mired in controversy. Tin farthings had been introduced under Charles II in 1684 partly to boost the struggling Cornish tin industry — a deliberate act of royal economic patronage — and James continued the practice despite persistent counterfeiting problems inherent to the metal. The copper plug at center was itself an anti-counterfeiting measure, as pure tin flans proved trivially easy to fake.
James was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of 1688, cutting this tin farthing series short. The post-Revolution settlement under William and Mary eventually abandoned tin coinage altogether, reverting to copper by 1694.