Guest Fenman Posted January 21, 2004 Posted January 21, 2004 Hi,I have heard mention today of a farthing with a Robin on the reverse.The guy is adamant that his mother used to keep them as lucky coins. The same fellow also states that they were different to the wren farthing.I cannot find mention of them in Spink or on the net.Was he just mistaken?Many thanks Quote
Chris Perkins Posted January 21, 2004 Posted January 21, 2004 I think the fellow must be getting his British birds confused, which can be a very dangerous thing to do in some circumstances!I have never heard of a Robin farthing, just the Wren....Which looks very much like a Robin. Quote
Guest Guest Posted January 21, 2004 Posted January 21, 2004 I think the fellow must be getting his British birds confused, which can be a very dangerous thing to do in some circumstances!I have never heard of a Robin farthing, just the Wren....Which looks very much like a Robin. Yep, as I thought, Chris. It's amazing how hazy people's memories are of yesteryear and how much they convince themselves of a fact that never existed.It's like a discussion I had with a guy the other day who maintained that the Raleigh Chopper bike from the '70s was a rather more comfortable ride than the bikes of today.Not if you slipped 'spuds first' onto the gearshift it wasn't Many thanks for the reply. Quote
Guest Eliza Posted January 21, 2004 Posted January 21, 2004 There's a great deal of native lore regarding Wrens. Many myths and legends. The Wren is considered the King of all birds, for having outwiited the Eagle in a flying contest. The Wren and the Robin are symbols of Winter and Summer, or the Light Half and Dark Half of the agricultural year.I've heard that the Wren farthings were indeed hugely popular in England. I have one, 1958, holed -- no doubt to wear.Eliza Quote
Sylvester Posted January 21, 2004 Posted January 21, 2004 I've heard that the Wren farthings were indeed hugely popular in England. I have one, 1958, holed -- no doubt to wear.Eliza 1958? Quote
Guest Eliza Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 I think so: 1956 or '58. Some poopsie with pigtails on the obverse ... Quote
Sylvester Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 I think so: 1956 or '58. Some poopsie with pigtails on the obverse ... 1956 most likely, production of this denomination was terminated in 1956. Quote
Fenman Posted January 22, 2004 Posted January 22, 2004 In the absence of a more solid explanation for the 'Great Robin Farthing Mystery', would it be possible that this bloke is referring to a token coin?I have since found out that his mother took these coins to bingo for good luck.Gambling establishments were and still are very eager to pay anything rather than hard cash Just a theory. Quote
Chris Perkins Posted January 23, 2004 Posted January 23, 2004 That's a good theory I suppose. It may have been a Quarter of a penny 'Mecca' token (or what ever the big bingo company was then). Quote
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