Obverse: VICTORIA D:G: BRITANNIAR: REGINA F:D: , around jubilee bust of Queen Victoria facing left.
Reverse: FOUR PENCE , Britannia seated, with shield, holding trident,facing right, 1888 in exergue.
Last of the circulation groats (silver fourpence).
UNC.

Originally it was the silver fourpence or groat that bore the nickname "silver Joey" As the groat appears to have been coined following a recommendation of the philanthropist Joseph Hume, M.P. It was initially popular for the payment of London Hackney (taxi) fares, being the exact fare for half a mile, but popularity did not extend to the hackney driver, as prior to its inception the client had often paid for his fare using a sixpence, without asking for the change. When however the silver threepence became legal tender in Britain, confusion arose, as the two coins were exactly the same size in diameter and the two could not live happily together, hence currency groats were not struck after 1855, apart from the 1888 issue struck for British Guianna.

Sold Feb 2019