COPPER AND BRONZE COINAGES OF JERSEY FROM 1841.

The Viscount of Jersey [Le Gros] favours me with the following information:—

"In 1834 it was enacted that from the 1st October, in that year, English money alone should be legal tender in the island, and that the pound sterling should be considered equal to 26 livres, old French currency, which was, up to the date above given, currency of the island.

"There being 20 sous to the livre, and 20 shillings to the pound, a shilling became the equivalent of 26 sous. The value of the Jersey penny, or pièce de deux sous, therefore, became ¹⁄₁₃th of a shilling, the half-penny, or sou, ¹⁄₁₃th of a shilling, and the farthing, or pièce de deux liards, ¹⁄₅₂nd of a shilling."

As regards the above, in plain English we may call a livre a franc, a sou a half-penny, and a liard a half-farthing, as current in Jersey.

Sir C. W. Fremantle, Deputy-Master of the Royal Mint, has most kindly given me full particulars as to dates and amounts of actual supplies of copper coins to Jersey; and the Viscount of Jersey has furnished me with records of quantities ordered; thus collectors will now be able to judge as to rarity of the different issues, and also to know for certain when they may happen to meet with patterns or coins not sent to Jersey for circulation.

NUMBERS OF PIECES ISSUED.

	Pence (2 Sous)	Half-Pence (1 Sou)	Farthings (¹⁄₂ Sou).


Copper coins bearing date 1841. (The order, dated 13th July, 1840, was to the value of £1,000). These, and up to date, 1871 inclusive, were for ¹⁄₁₃th, ¹⁄₁₃th, and ¹⁄₅₂nd.	116,480	232,960	116,480


There was a further supply in 1844	27,040	232,960	—


On December 13th, 1850, there was an order, to the value of £1,000, for copper coins; but there is no record in the Royal Mint that supply was made therefrom. Still, both pence and half-pence of date, 1851, were supplied for currency, and are still common.		No record.


Copper coins of date, 1858 (ordered to value of £2,000 on 15th October, 1857).	173,333	173,333	—


Copper coins of date, 1861	173,333	173,333	—


Bronze coins of date, 1866, ordered to value £2,000 under date 8th Dec, 1864.	173,333	173,333	—


Ditto, ditto, 1870. In 1869 the old copper issues were called in to be used for recoining and re-issue as bronze coinage—as type of late bronze coinage of 1866. These re-coined issues were dated 1870 and 1871.	173,333	173,333	—


Bronze coins of date, 1871 (in continuance of last-named order).	173,333	173,333	—


Bronze coins of date, 1877. These coins were ¹⁄₁₂th, ¹⁄₂₄th, and ¹⁄₄₈th of a shilling respectively, instead of being ¹⁄₁₃th, &c., as previously. On February 25th, 1876, the leading tradesmen of Jersey had petitioned the States to this effect, and the States ordered £2,000 of the new denominations accordingly. At the same time, the coins of former denominations were called in. This new coinage was ordered through the Royal Mint, but actually struck by Messrs. Ralph Heaton, of Birmingham.	260,000	312,000	312,000


Bronze coins of date, 1881. £260 worth of bronze farthings of 1877, for which there had been no demand in Jersey, were sent back to the Mint, and re-coined into pence, and thus re-issued.	81,380	—	—


Bronze coins of date, 1888. (£2,000 were ordered, but only £1,000 supplied). In 1894 the remainder of the bronze coinage ordered for Jersey in 1888 was supplied. The value of this further supply, bearing date 1894, was £750 in coins ¹⁄₁₂th of a shilling, and £250 in coins ¹⁄₂₄th of a shilling. The original "States" authority was of the 16th January, 1888, confirmed by Order in Council dated 17th March, 1888. The first half, £750 and £250 respectively in denominations, had been re-coined in September, 1888.	195,000	130,000	—

The descriptive reading of the first copper coinage of Jersey is as follows, dates and values being altered as required—values issued being ¹⁄₁₃th, ¹⁄₂₆th, and ¹⁄₅₂nd of a shilling:—

O. Dexter Bust [H] of Her Majesty the Queen, with hair banded, as in the English contemporary shilling, with the legend VICTORIA: D: G: BRITANNIAR: REGINA F.D.: 1841.

R. Ornamented Shield of Arms of Jersey (gules—three lions or leopards passant gardant), with STATES OF JERSEY around upper half—¹⁄₁₃th OF A SHILLING around lower half. This type was issued from 1841 to 1861 intermittently.

The bronze coinages of dates 1866, 1870, and 1871 have the bust coroneted, and an oak leaf scroll, and the ONE THIRTEENTH written fully instead of expressed in figures and as a fraction, and initials of Leonard C. Wyon on truncation of neck. The issues were but of ¹⁄₁₃th and ¹⁄₂₆th of a shilling—none of ¹⁄₅₂nd (farthings).

The bronze coinage of 1877 and subsequently reads as follows—with differences for values and dates:—

O. Dexter Coroneted Bust of Her Majesty, with seven-pointed star below, and letter H for Heaton (minters) within the legend VICTORIA D.G. BRITANNIA REGINA F.D.

R. A pointed Shield of Jersey arms, dividing the date 18-77—STATES OF JERSEY above, and ONE TWELFTH OF A SHILLING around lower half. These were issued of the values ¹⁄₁₂th, ¹⁄₂₄th, and ¹⁄₄₈th of a shilling, thus inaugurating for the Jersey penny the same fractional part of a shilling as obtained for the English penny.