Elite: fewer than 10,000 minted.
3 Pence - George VI 3rd Maundy issue (1949–1952)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1949–1952 |
| Denomination | 3 Pence |
| Mintage | 1,395 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Maundy Money |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Silver (.925) (925/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 1.410g · 0.0419 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.
Crowned denomination dividing date within oak wreath.
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Daily limit reachedAbout the 1949 3 Pence - George VI 3rd Maundy issue
The 1949 3 Pence - George VI 3rd Maundy issue is a collector 3 pence coin issued from 1949 to 1952 in the Maundy Money series, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 1.41g and measures 16mm across. Reverse design: Crowned denomination dividing date within oak wreath.
A mintage of 1,395 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 1949 3 Pence - George VI 3rd Maundy issue worth?
No verified sale of the 1949 3 Pence - George VI 3rd Maundy issue has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its silver content is worth about £1.68 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
Why does the 1949 Maundy threepence not say IND IMP?
George VI ceased to be Emperor of India after Indian independence, and a proclamation of 22 June 1948 removed the title from his style. New coin legends without IND IMP took effect on 1 January 1949, and the Maundy coins changed along with the circulating ones.
How many George VI Maundy sets were made in 1949?
Sovereign Rarities states that the 1949 output of all four denominations would produce at most 1,395 complete Maundy sets. That is a ceiling for complete sets rather than an exact count of threepences, and it implies at least 1,395 threepences dated 1949.
Who received the Maundy threepence?
Elderly recipients at the Royal Maundy service, as many men and as many women as the monarch's age, each given a white purse of Maundy coins. Until 1956, Wikipedia notes, a recipient once chosen had the right to receive the Maundy gift for life.
Is a 1952 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 it counts as 3p. Its silver content and collector interest mean it is never used as money.
How do I identify the 1949 3 Pence - George VI 3rd Maundy issue?
Check the weight 1.41g and diameter 16mm and the metal (92.5% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
The proclamation of 22 December 1948 gave George VI's coins new legends from 1 January 1949, following the royal proclamation of 22 June 1948 that removed Indiae Imperator, Emperor of India, from the King's style. It names the Maundy fourpence, threepence, twopence and penny alongside the circulating coins, so the Maundy threepence changed with everything else.
The coins stayed in .925 sterling silver, the standard restored to Maundy money in 1947. This third issue covers the last four dates of the reign, 1949 to 1952. Sovereign Rarities notes that the 1949 output was enough for no more than 1,395 complete sets. Wikipedia records that until 1956 a Maundy recipient, once chosen, kept the right to attend for life.
The obverse keeps Humphrey Paget's uncrowned portrait of George VI facing left, his initials HP below the truncation. The 1948 proclamation sets the legend as GEORGIVS VI D:G:BR:OMN:REX FIDEI DEF, spelling out the Defender of the Faith title and leaving out IND IMP.
The reverse, as on every George VI Maundy threepence, is the figure 3 with the date across it, inside an oak wreath surmounted by the Royal Crown, with a plain edge. Wikipedia traces it to Jean Baptiste Merlen's design of 1822, with the crown altered in 1888 by Leonard Charles Wyon.
Collecting notes
Tony Clayton groups all Maundy threepences from 1938 to 1952 together in his listing, so the dates of this issue are not separated by scarcity there. The legend is the way to place a coin: without IND IMP it belongs here, and the circulating 1949 brass threepence shows the same change.
The Royal Mint Museum notes that the Maundy coins of Elizabeth II kept her first coinage portrait by Mary Gillick throughout her reign, so 1952 is the last Maundy threepence with a portrait of George VI. Maundy money remains legal tender, counted in new pence since 1971.
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)
- The London Gazette, 24 December 1948, issue 38487, page 6665 (proclamation of 22 December 1948 determining new designs), The Gazette (read 10 Oct 2026)
- George VI 1949 Maundy Set, 1st year no Emperor of India title, Sovereign Rarities (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)
- Values of Three Pence coins, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Brass threepence, Wikipedia (read 10 Oct 2026)
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