Wood's Hibernia Coins

About This Coin

Copper farthings and halfpennies produced from 1722 to 1724 under a royal patent granted to William Wood, originally intended for circulation in Ireland. The obverse depicts King George I, while the reverse features a seated figure of Hibernia (the personification of Ireland) with a harp. Wood's coinage sparked fierce opposition in Ireland — most famously from Jonathan Swift, whose "Drapier's Letters" attacked the scheme — and the patent was eventually revoked. Many of the rejected coins subsequently found their way to the American colonies, where they circulated alongside other small-denomination coppers. The series includes several interesting varieties, including overdate, error legends, and silver pattern strikes.