Very Rare: fewer than 100,000 minted. Sells occasionally: 5 verified sales in the last 12 months.
3 Pence - George VI 1st Maundy issue (1937–1946)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1937–1946 |
| Denomination | 3 Pence |
| Mintage | 26,000 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Maundy Money |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Silver (.500) (500/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 1.410g · 0.0227 t oz |
| Diameter | 16.0mm |
| 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.
3 Pence - George VI 1st Maundy issue market value
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Affiliate3 Pence - George VI 1st Maundy issue price history
Daily limit reached3 Pence - George VI 1st Maundy issue value by year
1937 to 1946 · median sold prices| Year | Mintage | Circulated | Uncirculated | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Not recorded | £23.55 (1) | £40.00 (1) | 2 | |
|
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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| 1938 | Not recorded | £45.00 (1) | £40.00 type | 1 | |
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VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
⭐ Pro: the 1938 coin's sales by grade, and the chart filtered to one year
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| 1942 | Not recorded | £32.50 (1) | £40.00 type | 1 | |
|
VF£12.50EF£28.00UNC£95.00
⭐ Pro: the 1942 coin's sales by grade, and the chart filtered to one year
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| 1946 | Not recorded | £32.50 (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 3 Pence - 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.
3 Pence - 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 | £45.00 🔒 eBay | £32.50 | – | £23.55 – £45.00 | 4 | 4 | 15-10-2026 | |
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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 3 Pence - George VI 1st Maundy issue
The 1937 3 Pence - George VI 1st Maundy issue is a collector 3 pence coin issued from 1937 to 1946 in the Maundy Money series, struck in 50% silver. It weighs 1.41g and measures 16mm 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 3 Pence - George VI 1st Maundy issue worth?
Verified sold prices for the 1937 3 Pence - George VI 1st Maundy issue run from £32.50 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.
How do I tell a Maundy threepence from an ordinary silver threepence?
Look at the reverse. The George VI Maundy threepence has a crowned figure 3 with the date across it inside an oak wreath. The ordinary silver threepence of 1937 to 1944 has a shield of St George on a Tudor rose. Tony Clayton notes that any silver threepence from 1927 with a crowned 3 is a Maundy coin.
What silver is a 1937 to 1946 Maundy threepence?
It is .500 silver. All British silver coins had been reduced to that standard in the early 1920s, and Maundy money only returned to .925 sterling silver from 1947, when the circulating silver coins were replaced by cupro-nickel.
Is a George VI Maundy threepence legal tender?
Technically yes. Maundy money remains legal tender, and since decimalisation in 1971 all Maundy coins are deemed to be in new pence, so a pre-1971 Maundy threepence counts as 3p. The brass threepence, by contrast, ceased to be legal tender after 31 August 1971.
How do I identify the 1937 3 Pence - George VI 1st Maundy issue?
Check the weight 1.41g and diameter 16mm and the metal (50% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
1937 produced three different threepences. Chard sums it up: the new twelve-sided brass coin, a redesigned small silver threepence for circulation, and the Maundy threepence, which kept its old design. The proclamation of 18 March 1937 makes the split explicit, describing the circulating silver threepence as one "not being a coin of the King's Maundy monies".
The Maundy threepence is one of the four coins in the white purse given at the Royal Maundy, where the Royal Mint Museum explains that each recipient receives as many pence as the monarch has years. In 1937 the ordinary brass threepence also appeared at the service: Wikipedia records that the new coins were first put into circulation as part of the Maundy distribution on 25 March. This first George VI Maundy issue was struck in .500 silver until 1946.
Humphrey Paget's uncrowned portrait of the King faces left on the obverse, with his initials HP below the truncation. The Maundy coins carry the full title, GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX F:D:IND:IMP, set out in the 1937 proclamation.
The reverse is the figure 3 with the date placed across it, inside an oak wreath surmounted by the Royal Crown, with a plain edge. Wikipedia traces the layout to Jean Baptiste Merlen in 1822, with the crown altered by Leonard Charles Wyon in 1888. The circulating threepence had used the same reverse until it was redesigned in 1927, after which the crowned 3 was left to the Maundy coin.
Varieties and errors
The 1937 date exists in proof. The Royal Mint's 1937 coronation proof set included a silver Maundy set, struck in the medal department between highly polished dies, and Tony Clayton lists the 1937 proof threepence as a separate entry.
Collecting notes
Clayton's listing treats the Maundy threepences of 1938 to 1952 as a single group, with only the 1937 coin and its proof listed separately. Coins dated 1937 to 1946 are .500 silver; the 1947 and 1948 Maundy threepence is sterling with the same design. Maundy money is still legal tender, counted in new pence since 1971, but it does not circulate.
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)
- Maundy Money, Royal Mint Museum (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)
- Brass threepence, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Humphrey Paget, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Initials on British coins, TreasureRealm (read 10 Oct 2026)
- The 1937 George VI Coronation Proof Set, The Royal Mint (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Values of Three Pence coins, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Brass Threepences Story, Chard (read 10 Oct 2026)
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