William and Mary's joint farthing coinage was authorized under the tin farthing system inherited from Charles II and James II, but by 1694 the chronic problems of tin — its tendency to oxidize into a white, powdery surface corrosion — had pushed the mint toward copper entirely. The 1694 issue came just months before Mary II died of smallpox in December of that year, making it among the final coins to bear her effigy struck during her lifetime.
Dies for this series were cut by John Roettier, by then in failing health, with much of the practical work falling to his sons.
William and Mary's joint farthing coinage was authorized under the tin farthing system inherited from Charles II and James II, but by 1694 the chronic problems of tin — its tendency to oxidize into a white, powdery surface corrosion — had pushed the mint toward copper entirely. The 1694 issue came just months before Mary II died of smallpox in December of that year, making it among the final coins to bear her effigy struck during her lifetime.
Dies for this series were cut by John Roettier, by then in failing health, with much of the practical work falling to his sons.