1878 Farthing With Split "r" In Farthing!

[RLC35 288]

I recently bought a 1878 Farthing at a coin show. After I got home and was examining it, I found out it had a split "R" in Farthing. I thought it was probably as a result of being nicked, struck, or something like that, but after examining a few more 1878's, I found another one just like it out of the few I looked at. It appears it must be as a result of die damage, and not coin damage. Has anyone else found one like this?

[declanwmagee 122]

Well, how about that? 3 out of 3 in my archive...

[Peter 615]

Hi Bob

The split R was normal around this period.

1875 (ld) normal R

1875 (sd) split R.

I've just checked Colins site (aboutfarthings)and he has the split R as normal.

In Colin Cookes 1/4d catalogue it notes all farthings 1875-78 are split R apart from LD 1875 and the Heaton mints.

[declanwmagee 122]

perhaps if you've found one that's not, Bob, that one's unusual!

[RLC35 288]

perhaps if you've found one that's not, Bob, that one's unusual!

I think you may have something there, Declan...LOL!

[Colin G. 147]

Yes all the royal mint issues 1875 - 1878 have forked R's to farthings, and even some 1879 farthings do show a trace of the underlying tail, although some attempt has been made to correct/remove the feature. It is a great identifier of a genuine 1875 small date farthing, because where people have taken an 1875H farthing and removed the H in an attempt to make it more collectable the R will only have the single tail.....bizarrely I recently acquired an example of an altered 1875H

http://aboutfarthings.co.uk/cart/index.php?id_product=299&controller=product&id_lang=2

[Peter 615]

Yes all the royal mint issues 1875 - 1878 have forked R's to farthings, and even some 1879 farthings do show a trace of the underlying tail, although some attempt has been made to correct/remove the feature. It is a great identifier of a genuine 1875 small date farthing, because where people have taken an 1875H farthing and removed the H in an attempt to make it more collectable the R will only have the single tail.....bizarrely I recently acquired an example of an altered 1875H

http://aboutfarthings.co.uk/cart/index.php?id_product=299&controller=product&id_lang=2

You couldn't make this up.

BTW

NVF 1875H about £2

NVF 1875sd about £35

[scott 144]

there is also the 1874H

[Colin G. 147]

Yes but the forked R is not then in "FARTHING" for that date

[Peckris 579]

I'm not sure it's correct to call this a "split R"? If you knitted the split together, you would have a very fat end to the curve. The lower portion looks like the proper R, while the question is, what caused the upper portion?

I have an 1862 farthing with a 6 that also looks 'split', though in that case it might be an repunched alignment.

[Colin G. 147]

Peck you are correct the 6 shown on your farthing and the R on Scott's example are both as a result of letters/digits being recut/repunched. The R in FARTHING on the royal mint farthings from 1875 - 1878 is not. It is however difficult to have any certainty why it is present and how it was produced.