Jamaica 1884 farthing
This specimen was lot 73831 in Stack's Bowers Collector's Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, February 2024), where it sold for $120. The catalog description[1] noted, "JAMAICA. 1/4 Penny (Farthing), 1884. London Mint. Victoria. NGC MS-65. A lovely example of the type with reflective fields infused with carmine and chartreuse toning. A lower mintage year for this issue. Enchanting." The official coinage of Jamaica begins with issues of copper-nickel farthings, half pennies and pennies during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). In 1937, with the accession of George VI, the composition was changed to nickel brass and issued in this manner until the end of sterling coinage in 1967. This particular type was struck 1880-1900 and is common in worn condition.
Recorded mintage: 96,000, a slightly better date.
Specification: 2.8 g, copper-nickel, 20.2 mm diameter, plain edge.
Catalog reference: KM-15.
- Byrne, Ray, Coins and Tokens of the Caribees, Decatur, IL: Jess Peters, Inc., 1975.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Pridmore, F., The Coins of the British Commonwealth of Nations to the end of the Reign of George VI 1952: Part 3, Bermuda, British Guiana, British Honduras and the British West Indies, London: Spink & Son, 1965.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, February 2024 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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