It may surprise most people to learn that silverthreepencesare still issued in the present day, but as we have mentioned, the four denominations of Maundycoins are all still struckannually for the Royal Maundy ceremony. This coin weighed 6.6grams and the diameter was 21mm across the sides and 22mm across the corners. They depict the Queens head on one side and clearly state THREE PENCE on the other. Threepences were struck in all years from 1822 to 1830, though the king's head is smaller on the 1822 issue, apparently because the correct punch broke and the one from the twopence was used instead. The silver threepenny bit became known as a 'joey'. Sixpence The sixpence, worth six pre-decimal pennies, was known colloquially as a "tanner". For the first two years a somewhat caricatured portrait of the monarchs was used, replaced by a rather more staid portrait in 1691, with the inscription GVLIELMVS ET MARIA D G, while the reverse shows a crowned Arabic number "3" and the inscription MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA date. Obverse, Uncrowned portrait of George VI facing left, legend reads 'GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX' meaning 'George the Sixth by the Grace of God King of all the Britains.' In style they are very reminiscent of his father's issues, the obverse featuring the bust of the king, with the numeral III and the legend CAROLUS II D G MAG BRI F ET H REX, with the reverse showing the royal arms on a shield over a cross, and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO. The silver threepence continued to be minted in parallel until 1945, as there may have been some uncertainty about how well the new coin would be accepted. Les Bayless (age 22), his brother John Bayless (age 17), and Michael Bransome (age 18) lived at a commune known as Blair House (7421 Blair Road) just down the . The Edward VIII era saw the planned introduction of a new, larger, nickel-brass (79% copper, 20% zinc, 1% nickel) twelve-sided threepence coin. Threepence coins had a lot of nicknames during their time, and these included terms such as thruppenny bit and thruppence. The 12-sided shape was famously reintroduced into circulation in 2017 when the Royal Mint updated the design of the one pound coin to a new 12-sided configuration which made counterfeiting more difficult. The silver threepence had another completely new reverse three interlinked rings of Saint Edmund, with the inscription FID DEF IND IMP 1937 THREE PENCE, while the obverse shows a left-facing effigy of the king with the inscription EDWARDVS VIII D G BR OMN REX and a very small silver engravement. The denomination is identified by the numeral III appearing behind the king's head. A further type produced at Oxford had on the obverse the king's bust with the denomination behind him, and the letter "R" (for Rawlins, the maker of the die) below the king's shoulder and the legend CAROLUS D G M BR F ET H REX and the Aberystwyth reverse. IND: IMP: Coin Inscription, 12. Carnac is The Roar's son, who helped in the first fight between her and the Protector. Get your evaluation quick! Reverse, new design St. George's cross over aTudor rose dividing the date. In Silver World, she turns into a weapon against The Roar. The Maundy threepences still retained their centuries old design to this day of a crowned figure "3". Many people did not like the new design and some areas of the country refused to use it! They feature a left-facing crowned bust of the king with plumes in front of his face and the numeral III behind him, with the legend CAROLUS DG MA B FR ET H REX (or a combination of M(A) B F(R) ET H(I)(B) depending on the engraver), with the reverse showing the royal arms on a large oval shield with plumes above the shield, and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO I reign under the auspices of Christ. The obverse shows a left-facing crowned bust of the queen with a rose behind her, surrounded by the legend ELIZABETH D G ANG FR ET HIB REGINA, while the reverse shows shield over a long cross, dated 1561, surrounded by the legend POSUI DEU ADIUTOREM MEU. The second silver issue came out part way through 1920 and was reduced to 0.500 silver due to the severe shortage of silver. For the first two years a somewhat caricatured portrait of the monarchs was used, replaced by a rather more staid portrait in 1691, with the inscription GVLIELMVS ET MARIA D G, while the reverse shows a crowned Arabic number "3" and the inscription MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA date. Continue with Recommended Cookies. The new coin was designed to be more difficult to counterfeit. The design continued in the reign of George I, when threepences were produced in 1717, 1721, 1723, and 1727. This may sound confusing at first, but in the rest of this article well guide you through some key eras of threepence circulation and how much theyre worth. Featuring the depiction of a young Queen Victoria, coins from most years in this era are worth around 10-12. The Maundy coinage has always been silver. At first the coins had sharp corners, but during 1941 a more rounded collar was used, as failure of the collars was occurring too frequently. EF graded coins from each year can fetch up to 20. Edward VI threepences were struck at the London and York mints. 1902 Silver Graded British Pre-decimal Edward VII Threepence Obverse, 1902 Silver Graded British Pre-decimal Edward VII Threepence Reverse. The obverse shows a left-facing bust of the king, with the inscription GEORGIVS II DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date. It features a left-facing crowned bust of the king with the numeral III behind him, with the legend CAROLUS D G MA BR F ET H RE, with the reverse showing the royal arms on a shield with the date 1644 above the shield, and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO. We have noticed that many recent writers claim that they were called thrupences. This coin weighed 6.6 grams and the diameter was 21 mm across the sides and 22 mm across the corners. Somebody reading this page will stop reading before they get to this point and e-mail or phone us excitedly to tell us they have found one of the extremely rare 1945 threepences we have just described above. 1 Croydon was known for many years as the "threepenny bit building" for its resemblance to a stack of threepenny coins. As with all other Irish coins, the Irish threepence was minted at the Royal Mint from 1928 to 1968, and ceased to be legal tender after Decimalisation Day in February 1971. We wrote the above in 1998 or 1999. [4] The silver threepence continued to be minted, as there may have been some uncertainty about how well the new coin would be accepted. We are not financial advisers and we would always recommend that you consult with one prior to making any investment decision. The scarce dates are 1948, 1950 and 1951 and these are now selling for 60 80 in mint state. for each specimen. Milled coins were produced at the York mint between 1638 and 1649, which look similar to the Aberystwyth product but without the plumes the obverse features a left-facing crowned bust of the king with the numeral III behind him, with the legend CAROLUS D G MAG BR FR ET HI REX, with the reverse showing the royal arms on a shield over a cross, with EBOR over the shield and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO. The threepences of King Edward VIII were all patterns awaiting royal approval at the time of the abdication in December 1936. No threepences were produced by the Commonwealth. In 1644 the Exeter mint produced a fairly scarce threepence. In the reign of Queen Anne (17021714), the same basic design was used, with threepences produced in 170310 and 1713. By the end of George V's reign the threepence had become unpopular in England because of its small size (George Orwell comments on this in Keep the Aspidistra Flying[3]), but it remained popular in Scotland. In this epic fantasy adventure, Pinmei and her friend, Yishan, are in an ancient . The effigy of the queen produced by Mary Gillick was used, with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA BRITT OMN REGINA F D used in 1953, and ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D used in all other years. [10] The London Mint Office oversaw the sale of the coins, which all date from George V's reign and were valued at a total of approximately 1m, although a more realistic valuation would be in the region of 60,000. Most coins from the 1949 minting, which do not have IMD IMP printing, will be in F condition and are worth around 6. The British pre-decimal halfpenny, (pronounced / hepni / ), historically also known as the obol [1] and once abbreviated ob. The obverse shows a left-facing bust of the Queen, with the inscription ANNA DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BR FR ET HIB REG date (17035, 1707), MAG BR FRA ET HIB REG (1706), or MAG BRI FR ET HIB REG (170813). Three pences from Maundy sets are often missing as they were the only easily spendable coin in the set at the time. The British farthing is a continuation of the English farthing, struck by English monarchs prior to the Act of Union 1707 which unified the crowns of England and . Threepence pieces from the short reign of Edward VII are valued at just 2, although those minted in 1904 and 1906 are valued at 3. However, some years, such as 1852 (60) and 1853 (80) reflect increased rarity, caused by minting issues rather than becoming maundy money. Likewise, the coin was usually referred to in conversation as a /rpni/ THRUUP-nee, /rp-/ THREP-, /rp-/ THRUP- bit. . The reverse inscription reads MAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date up to 1800 and BRITANNIARUM REX FID DEF date from 1817. This was repeated in 1645, but with a plumelet instead of a plume in front of the king's face. The second issue was in 1949 when 200,020 pieces were minted to commemorate the intended royal visit of King George VI. This coin also appears dated 1646. Following decimalisation, the brass threepence ceased to be legal tender after 31 August 1971. The name has also been applied to any thick or large coin, such as the Groschen (grosso), a silver coin issued by Tyrol in 1271 and Venice in the 13th century, which was the first of this general size to circulate in the Holy Roman Empire and other parts of Europe. with a crowned three on the reverse) were revalued as being in new pence at the same time. The obverse shows a front-facing bust of the king, with a rose to the left and the value numeral III to the right, surrounded by the legend EDWARD VI D G ANG FRA Z HIB REX. The value of the threepenny fluctuates greatly from one era to the next due partly to varying interest levels from collectors and in part due to the maundy money versus general circulation. The reverse shows a long cross over the royal shield, surrounded by the legend (London mint) POSUI DEUM ADIUTOREM MEUM (I have made God my helper), or (York mint) CIVITAS EBORACI (City of York). It was consequently decided to introduce a more substantial threepenny coin which would be a more convenient weight/value ratio compared to the brass coinage. Dates used for the smaller coins were 1561-77. Unlike some of the larger denominations . The immediate ancestor to the groat was the French gros tournois or groat of Tours, which was known as the groot (Dutch for . The mint at Bristol produced rare threepences in 1644 and 1645. By far the most common Charles I threepences were produced at the Aberystwyth mint between 1638 and 1642. With the withdrawal in the UK of the Britannia groat, some people transferred the nickname from the 4d to what then became the UK's smallest circulating coin - most people not having seen (let alone handled) Maundy pennies and twopences. Currency silver threepences from 1838 to 1926 were of identical design and cannot usually be distinguished except in the best conditions when the higher striking standard of the maundy coins stand out; this resulted in the curious legal anomaly that when the currency was decimalised in 1971 all silver threepences from 1870 onwards were revalued at three new pence, not just the maundy coins. * However, a factor of 1.5 or less was NOT enough, especially as sometimes coins got "clipped", to steal some silver from them. The silver threepence continued to be minted in parallel until 1945, as there may have been some uncertainty about how well the new coin would be accepted. Similar to the other seven Irish Free State coins, the Irish threepence was designed by the English artist Percy Metcalfe. Still, they remain a popular coin for collectors due to the fact there are four distinct designs throughout this era. Two are known to have survived and they are extremely rare. The currency threepence was issued for each of the nine years of the reign of King Edward VII from 1902. A similar threepence was produced for King James II, dated 1685 to 1688, the obverse showing a left-facing bust of the king and the inscription IACOBVS II DEI GRATIA, with the reverse showing three crowned "I"s (indicating the value) and the inscription MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX date. In 1644 the Aberystwyth obverse was used to produce a coin with the reverse showing the Declaration of Oxford: REL PRO LEG AN LIB PA 1644 The religion of the Protestants, the laws of England, the liberty of Parliament 1644, while around the outside of the coin is the legend EXURGAT DEUS DISSIPENTUR INIMICI Let God arise and His enemies be scattered. No threepences were produced by the Commonwealth. While the silver threepence was minted as a currency coin until nearly the middle of the 20th century, it is clear that the purpose of the coin changed during the reign of King George III (17601820). This was followed by the dated issue, issued each year from 1670 to 1684, where the obverse features a right-facing uncrowned bust of the king and the inscription CAROLVS II DEI GRATIA, with the reverse showing three crowned interlinked "C"s (indicating the value) and the inscription MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX date. The inscription on the obverse reads GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA up to 1800, and GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA date from 1817. The denomination is identified by the numeral III appearing behind the king's head. Threepences were produced with both the "young head" (18381887) and "Jubilee head" (18871893), inscribed VICTORIA D G BRITANNIAR REGINA F D, while those produced with the "old head" (18931901) are inscribed VICTORIA DEI GRA BRITT REGINA FID DEF IND IMP. In Britain and Northern Ireland the farthing coin ceased to be legal tender on 1 January 1961; [3] however, the farthing remaind legal tender in the Falkland Islands, the Falkland Islands Dependencies, and the British Antarctic Territory until 31 October 1970. However, he was restrained by the will of the Protector, who was left . From 1817 until 1945 the silver threepence weighed 1.4g and had a diameter of 16mm. For the first two years a somewhat caricatured portrait of the monarchs was used, replaced by a rather more staid portrait in 1691, with the inscription GVLIELMVS ET MARIA D G, while the reverse shows a crowned Arabic number "3" and the inscription MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA date. The silver three pence coin (expressed in writing as "3d") first appeared in England during the reign of King Edward VI (1547-1553). . The coin has also been minted from nickel-brass as a 6.8g coin measuring 21mm and as a silver 1.5g coin with a diameter of 16.2mm. The threepence[1] or threepenny bit[2] was a denomination of currency used by various jurisdictions in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, valued at 1/80 of a pound or .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}14 of a shilling until decimalisation of the pound sterling and Irish pound in 1971. As the last groats were struck in 1888 the nickname became passed over to the silver threepences struck after that date until 1941 (the last year of production for British use). The new silver threepence design was a shield bearing St. George's cross in the centre of a rose and was issued in 0.500 silver. A quantity of (370,000) silver threepences were struck dated 1945, although these were all melted with the metal used in other mint products. Plumes were the identifying symbol of the Aberystwyth mint, but the Bristol and Oxford mints often used dies from the Aberystwyth mint so plumes often appear on their output too. ), and therefore nicknamed these coins "Joeys" in derision (a reference to Joseph Hume) -- we know them as "Britannia Groats". In 1937 a new 3d coin was introduced, a brass coin with twelve . Despite being in circulation for only a little over half a decade, the Victoria Jubilee Head coin is worth very little due to its large mintage. After the coins were phased out (beginning in 1970) the building eventually gained a new nickname, the "50p building". The obverse shows a left-facing effigy of the king[4] (not right as would have been the convention to alternate the direction) with the inscription EDWARDVS VIII D G BR OMN REX F D IND IMP, and the reverse shows a three-headed thrift plant with the inscription THREE PENCE 1937. Pitt Byrne (R. Bentley, 1860) "Hi - hi - all you respectable people what 's got a joey, get half a pint of beer and sport the other threepence up here; " (and presumably beer is 2d a pint). The brass threepence ceased to be legal tender after 31 August 1971. This page would not be complete without telling you that a common "nickname" for the silver threepence was a "Joey", although we have also heard this used for the silver groat or fourpence. [citation needed]. They are catalogued at nearly 60,000 in the 2020 Spink Coins of England. This coin also only exists as a pattern. Even to this day, the silver threepences produced each year for the Maundy ceremony still retain the old crowned "3" as their reverse design. While some eras saw them issued for general circulation, other periods used the threepence as maundy money. The obverse inscription reads GULIELMUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D, while the reverse shows the new-style crowned "3" and date, all within a wreath. This was followed by the dated issue, issued each year from 1670 to 1684, where the obverse features a right-facing uncrowned bust of the king and the inscription CAROLVS II DEI GRATIA, with the reverse showing three crowned interlinked "C"s (indicating the value) and the inscription MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX date. Threepences of the fourth coinage (15781582) are identical except for having a slightly lower silver content. Somebody reading this page will stop reading before they get to this point and e-mail or phone us excitedly to tell . Threepences were produced in 1729, 1731, 1732, 1735, 1737, 1739, 1740, 1743, 1746, and 1760. Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603) produced threepences during her third coinage (1561-1577). We are an affiliate of the Royal Mint, meaning if you click a Royal Mint link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission. FD. The old pennies quickly went out of use after Decimal Day, 15 February 1971there was no exact decimal equivalent of them, and the slogan "use your old pennies in sixpenny lots" explained that pennies and "threepenny bits" were only accepted in shops if their total value was six old pence (exactly 212 new pence). . They depict an IND IMP and are worth 240 at the EF grading. This was repeated in 1645, but with a plumelet instead of a plume in front of the king's face. Little Brown, 2016. If you were looking to sell a threepence to a collector the value goes up substantially, and you can simply take the estimated values above and convert them to dollars. By far the most common Charles I threepences were produced at the Aberystwyth mint between 1638 and 1642. The silver threepence was still produced and continued to circulate due to its popularity in Scotland and parts of the Commonwealth. This was almost certainly done to make it easy to distinguish more clearly the different sizes and values, but they did not state the specific value, such as 1, 2, 3, 4 pence etc. Victorian threepences were produced both for maundy use and for normal circulation in all years between 1838 and 1901 except 1847, 1848, and 1852 (probably because of the possible advent of a decimal currency at the time (see the item on the florin), when the 3d at 1/80th of a pound would not have fit with in a decimal system). Queen Elizabeth I (15581603) produced threepences during her third coinage (15611577). The obverse inscription reads GEORGIUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D, while the reverse shows a new style crowned "3" and date, all within a wreath. There was also a fairly rare milled coinage threepence, produced between 1561 and 1564 with similar designs and inscriptions to the hammered coinage threepences. In King William IV's reign (183037), maundy coins were produced in 183137, and identical circulation coins were produced for the colonies, identifiable only through not having a prooflike surface. However, the original 'joey' was the groat (or fourpence).The groat was re-introduced in 1836 during the reign of William IV at the suggestion of Joseph Hume (1777-1855).Popularly known as the 'joey',named after Hume's christian name, it was introduced to ease transactions on the London buses, the fare being four pence or one groat. There is the undated issue which looks very like the earlier hammered coinage, with a crowned left-facing bust of the king with the denomination indicated by III behind his head, and the inscription CAROLVS II D G M B F & H REX, with the reverse showing a shield encircling the arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and France with the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO. This was followed by the dated issue, issued each year from 1670 to 1684, where the obverse features a right-facing uncrowned bust of the king and the inscription CAROLVS II DEI GRATIA, with the reverse showing three crowned interlinked "C"s (indicating the value) and the inscription MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX date. The obverse inscription reads GEORGIUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D, while the reverse shows a new-style crowned "3" and date, all within a wreath. However, it is believed a handful escaped, with one example selling for 62,000 at auction in 2020. The new coin is designed to be more difficult to counterfeit.[8][9]. In style they are very reminiscent of his father's issues, the obverse featuring the bust of the king, with the numeral III and the legend CAROLUS II D G MAG BRI F ET H REX, with the reverse showing the royal arms on a shield over a cross, and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO. The general. The physical dimensions of the brass threepence remained the same in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. The Silver Spring Three refers to a Vietnam War era anti-draft action. . However, those at EF grading are worth 250. Over the length of the reign there were several different designs of obverse and reverse in use. The general circulation British silver Threepence was no longer. The word bobwas sometimes used for a monetary value of several shillings, e.g. By the start of the reign of king George IV (1820-1830) the coin was being struck primarily as a Maundy coin, although some coins were struck for use in the colonies. Before decimalisation brought about a new currency with new coinage, the sum of three pence was pronounced variously /rpns/ THRUUP-nss, /rp-/ THREP-, /rp-/ THRUP-, reflecting different pronunciations in the various regions and nations of Great Britain. In the first two years of minting, 1762 and 1763, the coin was obviously produced for general circulation as examples are generally found well worn; on the other hand, coins from the late issue (181720) are usually found in very fine condition, indicating that they were probably issued as Maundy money. The silver threepenny was popular in Scotland but not in England. A three pence coin was also used in the pre-decimalisation currencies of Commonwealth of Nations countries such as Fiji, Australia, and New Zealand. . It was consequently decided to introduce a more substantial threepenny coin which would have a more convenient weight/value ratio than the silver coinage. Victoria bronze "Bun" halfpenny introduced 1860 together with bronze pennies and farthings. Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited. For the sole reign of William III, the design remained very similar, with the inscriptions changed to GVLIELMVS III DEI GRA and MAG BR FR ET HIB REX date. At an auction in April 1970 one of these 1945 George VI silver threepence coins sold for the equivalent of 4,000 in todays money to an unknown buyer, with the other being graded and certified in 2019. Threepence 1937 (Silver, circulating) 8,174,558: King . During the reign of King George VI, circulation silver threepences were produced only in 19371945 (and almost all the 1945 examples were subsequently melted down). To fetch 40, the silver George V maundy threepence needs to be in EF condition while Uncirculated graded coins can gain double this. The threepence, which is often expressed as 3d, is a coin that first entered circulation in the mid-16th century during the era of King Edward VI. However, given their age, most can be found in EF condition, which can fetch a few pounds. For the sole reign of William III the design remained very similar, with the inscriptions changed to GVLIELMVS III DEI GRA and MAG BR FR ET HIB REX date. Note that gold sovereigns have never carried an explicit mark of value, from their introduction in 1489 through to the present day. Similar denominations were later used throughout the British Empire and Commonwealth countries, notably in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. It is without a doubt that the 1945 George VI silver threepences are one of, if not the rarest threepence coins ever. The final hammered coinage threepences were produced at the start of the reign of King Charles II. The threepences of King Edward VIII were all patterns awaiting royal approval at the time of the abdication in December 1936. Expired coins pre-dating the 1971 decimalisation system have become a popular niche for coin collectors throughout the UK and beyond, and one of these coins is the threepence but how much is a threepence worth today? Circulation issue groats had the Britannia reverse; Maundy Groats did not." As with all British silver coins, the silver content was reduced from sterling (0.925) silver to 50% silver, 40% copper, 10% nickel in 1920, 50% silver, 50% copper in 1922, and 50% silver, 40% copper, 5% nickel, 5% zinc in 1927, while the design of the reverse of the circulating threepence (but not the maundy threepence) was completely changed in 1927 to three oak sprigs with three acorns and a "G" in the centre, and the inscription THREE PENCE date. The silver coinage was issued with a silver content of 92.5%, known as sterling silver, until 1920. . Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. These coins are identifiable from other denominations by the rose behind the queen's head on the obverse, and the date on the reverse. The obverse shows a right-facing bust of the King, with the inscription GEORGIVS DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date. This isn't quite true: * People could tell the difference (by size and weight) between penny, twopence and fourpence. Although it was an easy denomination to work with in the context of the old sterling coinage system, being a quarter of a shilling, initially it was not popular with the public who preferred the groat (four pence). This was repeated in 1645, but with a plumelet instead of a plume in front of the kings' face. The obverse shows a left-facing bust of the King, with the inscription GEORGIVS II DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date. Currency silver threepences from 1838 to 1926 were of identical design and cannot usually be distinguished except in the best conditions when the higher striking standard of the Maundy coins stands out; when the currency was decimalised in 1971, all silver threepences from 1870 onwards were revalued at three new pence, not just the Maundy coins.