Elite: fewer than 10,000 minted. Rarely sells: 1 verified sales in the last 12 months.
2 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue (1947–1948)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1947–1948 |
| Denomination | 2 Pence |
| Mintage | 1,479 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Maundy Money |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Silver (.925) (925/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 0.940g · 0.0280 t oz |
| Diameter | 13.0mm |
| 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.
2 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue market value
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Affiliate2 Pence - George VI 2nd 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 | £32.50 🔒 eBay | £32.50 (1) | – | £32.50 – £32.50 | 1 | 1 | 31-07-2026 | |
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About the 1947 2 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue
The 1947 2 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue is a collector 2 pence coin issued from 1947 to 1948 in the Maundy Money series, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 0.94g and measures 13mm across. Reverse design: Crowned denomination dividing date within oak wreath.
A mintage of 1,479 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 1947 2 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue worth?
The 1947 2 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue has a price in one grade on MyCoinage so far: £32.50 in VF, the median of its verified sales. Its silver content is worth about £1.12 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
Why is the 1947 Maundy twopence sterling silver?
In 1947 silver was removed from Britain's circulating coins in favour of cupro-nickel. Wikipedia, citing Lobel, says it was felt inappropriate to strike Maundy coins in base metal, so their fineness was restored to .925 sterling silver instead of staying at .500.
How can I tell a 1947 Maundy twopence from the earlier issue?
Only by the date. The design and legend are the same as on the 1937 to 1946 coins, including IND IMP, but those earlier coins are .500 silver while the 1947 and 1948 coins are .925 sterling. From 1949 the legend drops IND IMP.
Is a 1948 Maundy twopence legal tender?
Maundy money is technically still legal tender. After decimalisation in 1971 all Maundy coins, old and new, were deemed to be denominated in new pence, so a 1948 Maundy twopence counts as 2p. The coins do not circulate in practice.
How do I identify the 1947 2 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue?
Check the weight 0.94g and diameter 13mm and the metal (92.5% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
In 1947 silver was removed from Britain's circulating coins in favour of cupro-nickel. Maundy money was treated differently. Wikipedia, citing Lobel's catalogue, says it was felt to be inappropriate to strike Maundy coins in base metal, so their fineness went back to .925 sterling silver, the standard abandoned in the early 1920s. Sovereign Rarities likewise notes that the full sterling standard was restored only to the Maundy money.
This second issue therefore lasted just two years. The 1947 and 1948 coins are sterling, but they still carry the 1937 legend with IND IMP. A royal proclamation of June 1948 dropped the Indian title from the King's style, yet the new coin designs only took effect from 1 January 1949.
The obverse is Humphrey Paget's uncrowned portrait of George VI facing left, with his initials HP below the truncation, and the legend GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX F:D:IND:IMP as set out in 1937.
The reverse shows the figure 2 with the date across it, inside an oak wreath surmounted by the Royal Crown, with a plain edge. This crowned numeral within a wreath was introduced in 1822 by Jean Baptiste Merlen, according to Wikipedia. Leonard Charles Wyon's 1888 changes gave the twopence its present form of the 2, which George VI later chose to keep.
Collecting notes
Nothing on the coin besides the date separates this issue from the .500 silver 1937 to 1946 twopence, so the date is the whole story. CoinVarieties points out that because most recipients kept their Maundy sets carefully, the coins are easier to find than their small mintages suggest.
The coins were given out in white leather purses at the Royal Maundy, where the Royal Mint Museum explains that the number of pence matches the monarch's age. Maundy money remains legal tender, deemed to be in new pence since 1971, but it is not used in change.
Sources
The history, design, varieties and collecting notes on this page are drawn from these sources. Prices come from recorded sales, not from them.
- Royal Maundy, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- George VI 1949 Maundy Set, 1st year no Emperor of India title, Sovereign Rarities (read 10 Oct 2026)
- The London Gazette, 19 March 1937, issue 34381, page 1818 (coinage proclamation of 18 March 1937), The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- The London Gazette, 24 December 1948, issue 38487, page 6665 (proclamation of 22 December 1948 determining new designs), The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Humphrey Paget, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Initials on British coins, TreasureRealm (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Maundy Money, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1948 3 pence KM-850a, CoinVarieties (read 10 Oct 2026)
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