British 1840 And 1842 4-Pence Coin

Pics would help if you have any.

Could well be maunday money.

Hi thanks for you help not sure how I add picture yet ta rhett

Rhett, you can upload them to an image site like Photobucket or you can use the uploader here. When you press 'Reply to Topic', at the bottom of the box is a button for uploading images, and I believe there is a tutorial provided.

We can give you some very general information.

The fourpence, or groat, is an old denomination in the British series. It was first introduced back in the 1300s, when it was the largest silver coin denomination, following a growing trend in late Mediaeval Europe for larger and larger silver coins. The denomination remained popular until the introduction of the shilling coin; fourpence is one-third of a shilling, an awkward fraction. It began to be replaced by the threepence during the reign of Elizabeth I, finally disappearing from regular circulation in the 1700s.

After a generation of only appearing as "Maundy money", the denomination was revived for circulation, primarily at the insistence of Joseph Hume, a British MP who believed that, since the price of a London cab was fourpence, a single coin to pay the fare would be convenient. The coins were nicknamed "joeys" in his honour. But the coin proved unpopular with everyone, including cab drivers, because they were too easily confused with threepences. THey were ultimately discontinued for use in Britain.

Some colonies continued to use them. British Guiana used to be Dutch, and the locals still reckoned their money in terms of the old Dutch coin known as a stuiver, which was tariffed at 1 shilling 4 pence. A fourpence was, therefore, equal to a quarter-stuiver and a much more convenient denomination since the stuiver did not evenly subdivide into threepences. So fourpence coins continued to be issued for British Guiana, right up to the end of World War II.