Elite: fewer than 10,000 minted.
2 Pence - George V 2nd Maundy issue (1921–1927)
"Maundy twopence"
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1921–1927 |
| Denomination | 2 Pence |
| Mintage | 1,794 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Maundy Money |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Silver (.500) (500/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 0.940g · 0.0151 t oz |
| Diameter | 13.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Obv. artist | Bertram Mackennal |
| Rev. artist | Jean Baptiste Merlen |
| Grade scale | UK (EF/UNC) |
Uncrowned portrait of King George V left, legend around.
Crowned denomination dividing date within oak wreath.
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AffiliateAbout the 1921 2 Pence - George V 2nd Maundy issue
The 1921 2 Pence - George V 2nd Maundy issue is a collector 2 pence coin issued from 1921 to 1927 in the Maundy Money series, struck in 50% silver. It weighs 0.94g and measures 13mm across. Reverse design: Crowned denomination dividing date within oak wreath.
A mintage of 1,794 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 1921 2 Pence - George V 2nd Maundy issue worth?
No verified sale of the 1921 2 Pence - George V 2nd Maundy issue has been logged on MyCoinage yet.
Why was the Maundy twopence changed to .500 silver?
Because all British silver coin was. The Royal Mint Museum explains that by late 1919 the silver price had made sterling coinage uneconomic, and the Silver Coinage Act 1920 cut the standard to .500. Wikipedia and Tony Clayton record that Maundy money followed, and returned to sterling only in 1947.
How many 1921 to 1927 Maundy twopences were made?
Coinstrail's catalogue gives 1,527 to 1,902 a year, except 1922 at 3,074, about 13,300 in all. The 1922 figure stands well above every other date of the reign and is best treated with caution.
Is a George V Maundy twopence legal tender?
Technically yes. Wikipedia notes that Maundy coins remain legal tender but do not circulate. The Royal Mint Museum records that at decimalisation in 1971 their face values were changed from old to new pence, so this coin now counts as 2p.
How do I identify the 1921 2 Pence - George V 2nd Maundy issue?
Check the weight 0.94g and diameter 13mm and the metal (50% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The second George V Maundy twopence is defined by its metal. The Royal Mint Museum records that the war had pushed the price of silver up until, in autumn 1919, it approached the level at which striking sterling coin would be uneconomic. The Silver Coinage Act 1920 cut the standard to .500, and the Mint struck .500 coin for the first time in April 1920. Tony Clayton's tables place the Maundy change between the 1920 and 1921 sets, and Wikipedia gives 1921 for the Maundy coins.
Coinstrail's catalogue gives 1,794 twopences for 1921 and between 1,527 and 1,902 for most later years. 1922 is the exception at 3,074, well above every other year of the reign. As with all Maundy money of the reign, the coins went in the white purse at the Maundy Thursday service, where the Royal Mint Museum explains each recipient receives as many pence as the monarch has years.
The obverse carries Bertram Mackennal's bare head of George V facing left. The Royal Mint Museum describes his portrait as attractive but technically unsuited to coinage. TreasureRealm notes that the silver coins moved to a modified effigy, with 1926 the overlapping date.
The reverse keeps the crowned figure 2 and date inside an oak wreath. Wikipedia credits the wreathed design to Jean Baptiste Merlen in 1822, with the crown and the form of the 2 redrawn by Leonard Charles Wyon in 1888. The Royal Mint Museum notes that three different .500 alloys were used in the first two years of the new standard alone.
Collecting notes
The coin is half silver, and Clayton notes that Maundy money returned to sterling only in 1947, when the circulating coins became cupro-nickel. Sets went only to recipients and those involved in the ceremony, and Clayton notes that single coins of a year are not all equally easy to find. Check the effigy on a 1927 coin: Clayton's twopence table already lists 1927 with the modified effigy.
Maundy money remains legal tender at its face value in new pence. The 1928 to 1936 Maundy twopence 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.
- Twopence of George V, silver coins, Coinstrail (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Royal Maundy, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Maundy money, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- George V, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Maundy Money, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Values of Coins of the UK, Maundy Sets, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Values of Coins of the UK, Silver Maundy Twopence, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Threepence (British coin), Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Old Effigy vs Modified Effigy Halfcrowns, Shillings, and Sixpence of George V, TreasureRealm (read 10 Oct 2026)
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