3 Pence - Elizabeth II 1st portrait without 'BRITT:OMN' (1954–1970)

One row for each year the 3 Pence - Elizabeth II 1st portrait – without 'BRITT:OMN' 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; years with no sales yet fill in as sales are recorded. 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.

About the 1954 3 Pence - Elizabeth II – without 'BRITT:OMN'

The 1954 3 Pence - Elizabeth II – without 'BRITT:OMN' is a circulating 3 pence coin issued from 1954 to 1970, struck in nickel brass (79% Cu, 20% Zn, 1% Ni). It weighs 6.8g and measures 21.74mm across. Reverse design: A Tudor portcullis and side chains with crown above, dividing value, date below.

Mintage figures are recorded for 14 years between 1954 and 1967, 681,468,800 coins in all. 1958 is the scarcest date, with 20,504,000 struck. It is no longer legal tender (withdrawn 1971), so its value is to collectors only.

Common questions

History and design

From 1954 the Queen's title on the coinage dropped BRITT OMN ("of all the Britains"), and Tony Clayton notes that the portrait was strengthened at the same time. The threepence took the shorter legend from 1954 and kept it for the rest of its life, so this type covers every pre-decimal date from 1954 onwards.

It was struck every year from 1954 to 1967. As decimalisation approached, coins made after 1967 kept that date to discourage hoarding, which is why Coin Hunter's figure for 1967, 151,780,800, is by far the highest. A final 1970-dated proof was issued in the souvenir set of pre-decimal coins. Across 1954 to 1967 Coin Hunter's figures total about 685 million, with 1958 the lowest at 20,504,000, a figure CoinVarieties shares.

The reverse is William Gardner's crowned portcullis, a badge of King Henry VII that was also adopted by the Houses of Parliament, with the words THREE PENCE and the date. The Royal Mint credits the portrait of the Queen to Mary Gillick. Wikipedia gives the obverse legend as ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D, with GRATIA now written in full where 1953 had GRA:. The twelve-sided brass flan and plain edge continued unchanged from 1953.

Varieties and errors

Clayton records threepences dated 1958 and 1966 struck in cupro-nickel, and a 1961 coin struck in error on a Hong Kong 10 cents blank. CoinVarieties notes that, unlike 1953, proofs of the later dates are rare. It illustrates a 1958 proof from an eight-piece VIP set and a 1960 VIP proof thought to be one of about five known.

Collecting notes

Hundreds of millions were struck and the coin circulated until 1971, so worn examples of any date are plentiful. Condition matters more than date: the lower dates, 1958, 1957 and 1965, are the ones to look for with full original lustre.

The brass threepence ceased to be legal tender after 31 August 1971. The Royal Mint Museum notes that threepenny bits had all but disappeared within a couple of weeks of Decimal Day.

The 1953 coin, with BRITT OMN, is a separate one-year type. Silver threepences with a crowned 3 from these years are Maundy money, not currency.