✓ WikipediaMoney & Work
These royal coins ran from a £2 piece to a coin too small to spend at home
William IV's coinage spanned the double sovereign down to the third farthing, the latter struck only for colonial use abroad.
The British coinage struck during the reign of William IV covered an unusually wide range of denominations. At the top sat the double sovereign, worth two pounds, which was never actually minted for circulation.
At the bottom was the tiny third farthing, struck only for use in the colonies rather than at home. The coins carried an obverse portrait by William Wyon based on a sketch by sculptor Francis Chantrey.
Their reverses were designed by Wyon and Jean Baptiste Merlen, both of the Royal Mint.
Why it mattersThe lineup reveals how a single reign's money quietly mirrored the reach and economics of the British Empire.
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