Ireland, 1723 George I copper Farthing, William Wood's coina...

Hammer

£35

Ireland, 1723 George I copper Farthing, William Wood's coinage, type III (S 6604). Obverse: right-facing laureate bust with 'GEORGIUS · DEI · GRATIA · REX ·' around. Reverse: Hibernia, seated left, with a palm frond and a harp, 'HIBERNIA · 1723 ·' above. Weight: 3.57g. Diameter: 21mm. Grade: nVF - dark tone, near Very Fine. The so-called Wood's Coinage takes its name from its manufacturer, William Wood, a London merchant who was authorised to strike copper coinage for Ireland and the American colonies at his Bristol foundry in 1722. While there was a serious need for small change since no copper coinage had been struck for Ireland since 1696, the new issues proved politically unpopular, leading to calls for a general boycott by Dean Swift in his 'Drapier's Letters'. Production ceased in 1724, and the coins were recalled from Ireland and shipped to America. Wood's Halfpennies and Farthings feature a portrait of King George I to the obverse and the seated figure of Hibernia to the reverse, accompanied by the Irish harp. Hibernia is the national personification of Ireland, the counterpart to Britannia.