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UNITED KINGDOM
Time of Victoria, 1837-1901
CU Farthing (20.0mm, 2.83g, 12h)
Dated 1890. Royal mint, London
Obverse: VICTORIA D:G: BRITT:REG:F:D:, laureate and draped bust of Queen Victoria left
Reverse: Seated figure of Britannia facing right, holding trident in left hand and shield with Union flag in right; sea behind with lighthouse on left and ship on right; FARTHING above, date in exergue
References: Numista 1013
Mintage: 2,133,000
In NGC encapsulation, graded MS 65 RB. Bright lustrous surfaces. From the Crichel House Cache, “Raindrop Race Wager.” In 1890 two friends were sitting inside the stately Crichel House in Dorset one rainy day. Noticing the raindrops sliding down the glass window panes, they each chose a drop and made a bet of £5 on which one would reach the bottom of the window first. The loser, disgruntled, decided to make things as inconvenient as possible and withdrew from the bank his £5 payment in farthings, the lowest value denomination, which amounted to 4,800 coins. The farthings were brand new, fresh from the mint, and wrapped in rolls of paper. The winner of the bet stored them away, still wrapped, where they sat undisturbed for more than 120 years until they were brought to auction. The entire collection sold for £63,440.
Collection : World coins - medieval to present