Ireland 1 farthing 1806 - George III - Crowned harp

The coin's story

This farthing, worth a quarter of a penny, dates from the first years of the union between Ireland and Great Britain, brought about by the Act of Union of 1801. Ireland nevertheless kept its own currency, the Irish pound, until 1826, hence the Latin name HIBERNIA (Ireland) on the reverse. The coin belongs to the copper series ordered from the Soho Manufactory, near Birmingham, founded by the industrialist Matthew Boulton: its steam presses gave a regular striking, much harder to counterfeit than the old copper coins, very often imitated. The penny and halfpenny are dated 1805, and the farthing of 1806 completes the series. After this issue, no official copper coin was struck for Ireland until 1822, which led merchants and industrialists to issue their own tokens in the following years. The Soho dies were also used later to strike proof restrikes, sought after by collectors.