Very Rare: fewer than 100,000 minted. Rarely sells: 2 verified sales in the last 12 months.
1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue (1937–1946)
"Maundy penny"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1937–1946 |
| Denomination | 1 Penny |
| Mintage | 26,000 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Maundy Money |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Silver (.500) (500/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 0.470g · 0.0076 t oz |
| Diameter | 11.2mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Plain |
| Orientation | Medal alignment ↑↑ |
| Obv. artist | Thomas Humphrey Paget |
| Rev. artist | Jean Baptiste Merlen |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned portrait of King George VI left, legend around.
GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX F:D:IND:IMP.
Crowned denomination dividing date within oak wreath.
Crowned numeral 1 in an oak wreath, date across the figure
1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue market value
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Affiliate1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue price history
Daily limit reached1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue value by year
1937 to 1946 · median sold prices| Year | Mintage | Circulated | Uncirculated | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Not recorded | £32.00 type | £40.00 (1) | 1 | |
|
VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
⭐ Pro: the 1937 coin's sales by grade, and the chart filtered to one year
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| 1946 | Not recorded | £32.00 (1) | £40.00 type | 1 | |
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VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
⭐ Pro: the 1946 coin's sales by grade, and the chart filtered to one year
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One row for each year the 1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue was struck. Prices are medians of verified sold listings matched to that year from the listing: circulated is worn condition up to Extremely Fine, uncirculated is About Uncirculated or better. A count in brackets means fewer than three sales behind the figure; a grey figure marked "type" is the median across every year, shown where that year has no sale of its own yet. Most types have been searched year by year only since October 2026, so later years are still filling in. Use the grade table below for a price by condition across all years.
1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue value by grade
Realised auction prices · ⭐ Pro Expand rows for individual sale records| Grade | Latest | Median | 30d Δ | All-time range | Sales (1yr) | Total sales | Last sale | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| VF | £32.00 🔒 eBay | £32.00 (1) | – | £32.00 – £32.00 | 1 | 1 | 29-07-2026 | |
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| PR-65 | £40.00 🔒 eBay | £40.00 (1) | – | £40.00 – £40.00 | 1 | 1 | 22-07-2026 | |
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About the 1937 1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue
The 1937 1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue is a collector 1 penny coin issued from 1937 to 1946 in the Maundy Money series, struck in 50% silver. It weighs 0.47g and measures 11.15mm across. Reverse design: Crowned denomination dividing date within oak wreath.
A mintage of 26,000 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 1937 1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1937 1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue run from £32.00 to £40.00 across 2 grades, taking the median for each grade. Condition makes the difference, so check the grade table above before pricing one.
What is a Maundy penny?
A small silver penny struck for the Royal Maundy, the Maundy Thursday service at which the monarch gives elderly recipients purses of specially made coins. The Royal Mint Museum notes that the white purse holds as many pence as the sovereign's years of age, in four silver denominations from one to four pence.
How many George VI Maundy pennies were made each year?
Coinstrail's catalogue gives between 1,243 (1942) and 1,479 (1946) for each year from 1937 to 1946. These small numbers reflect the ceremony itself: sets go to recipients and officials, not into general circulation.
What silver are the 1937 to 1946 Maundy coins?
Tony Clayton and Wikipedia record that Maundy coins followed the rest of the silver coinage down to .500 silver in the 1920s and stayed there until 1947, when they returned to sterling .925 silver. The 1937 to 1946 pennies are therefore half silver.
Is a George VI Maundy penny legal tender?
Technically yes. Wikipedia notes that Maundy coins are legal tender but do not circulate. The Royal Mint Museum says that at decimalisation in 1971 their face values changed from old to new pence, so this penny now counts as 1p.
How do I identify the 1937 1 Penny - George VI 1st Maundy issue?
Check the weight 0.47g and diameter 11.15mm and the metal (50% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Maundy money is struck for the Royal Maundy, the service on the day before Good Friday at which the sovereign gives purses of coins to elderly recipients. The Royal Mint Museum explains that there are as many men and as many women as the monarch has years, and the white purse holds silver Maundy coins totalling the same number of pence. The penny is the smallest of the four coins in a set.
This first George VI type ran from 1937 to 1946. Coinstrail's catalogue gives between 1,243 and 1,479 pennies a year, with 1,329 for 1937. Wikipedia records that George VI did not attend the service until 1940, and not again until 1944; in most years his place was taken by the Lord High Almoner, Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury.
The 1937 proclamation set the Maundy obverse as the King's effigy with GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX F:D:IND:IMP., and the reverse as the figure 1 in the centre with the date across it, encircled by an oak wreath under the Royal Crown. The edge is plain. The Royal Mint names Thomas Humphrey Paget as the obverse designer.
Wikipedia credits the wreathed reverse to Jean Baptiste Merlen, who introduced it in 1822, with the crown altered by Leonard Charles Wyon in 1888. Clayton and Wikipedia record that these coins were .500 silver, the standard for British silver since the early 1920s.
Collecting notes
Maundy pennies were not made for circulation, so most survive in good condition, but complete runs are limited by the small numbers struck. Single pennies turn up as well as full four-coin sets, and Tony Clayton notes that the four denominations of a year are not always equally easy to find.
At decimalisation the Maundy coins were revalued as new pence, so this penny is legal tender for 1p. The 1947 to 1948 sterling silver Maundy penny followed.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Penny 1937 to 1952, George VI (silver penny list), Coinstrail (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Values of Coins of the UK, Maundy Sets, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- 1942 George VI Maundy Set, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Maundy money, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Royal Maundy, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Maundy Money, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- UK Coins of George VI, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Proclamation giving currency to a new threepenny piece and determining new designs for gold, silver and bronze coins (London Gazette issue 34381), The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Coinstrail entry, Penny 1937 HP (silver), Coinstrail (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Humphrey Paget, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
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