Elite: fewer than 10,000 minted.
4 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue (1947–1948)
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Year | 1947–1948 |
| Denomination | 4 Pence |
| Mintage | 1,375 |
| Mint | Royal Mint · Llantrisant |
| Series | Maundy Money |
| Circulation | Non-circulating |
| Composition | Silver (.925) (925/1000 fine) |
| Weight | 1.890g · 0.0562 t oz |
| Diameter | 18.0mm |
| Shape | Round |
| 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 1947 4 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue
The 1947 4 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue is a collector 4 pence coin issued from 1947 to 1948 in the Maundy Money series, struck in 92.5% silver. It weighs 1.89g and measures 18mm across. Reverse design: Crowned denomination dividing date within oak wreath.
A mintage of 1,375 is recorded for one date of this type; figures for each year are not held.
Common questions
How much is the 1947 4 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue worth?
No verified sale of the 1947 4 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue has been logged on MyCoinage yet. Its silver content is worth about £2.24 at today's spot price, which puts a floor under its value.
Why is the 1947 Maundy fourpence sterling silver?
When silver was removed from circulating British coins in 1947, it was felt inappropriate to strike Maundy coins in base metal, so their fineness was restored to sterling (0.925) instead, as Wikipedia and Tony Clayton both record. The 1937 to 1946 Maundy coins had been only 50% silver.
How can I tell a 1947 Maundy fourpence from a 1946 one?
Only by the date. The portrait, legend and crowned 4 in a wreath are the same, but Tony Clayton classes 1947 and 1948 as a separate type because the metal changed from 50% silver to sterling silver.
How many 1948 Maundy fourpences were made?
CoinVarieties records a mintage of 1,385 for the 1948 fourpence, with the set catalogued as Spink 4091. Maundy issues are small because the number of coins follows the number of recipients, which matches the monarch's age.
Is a 1947 Maundy fourpence legal tender?
Yes. Maundy coins are technically legal tender, according to Wikipedia, and since decimalisation they are deemed to be in new pence, so the fourpence counts as 4p. They are not used as everyday money.
How do I identify the 1947 4 Pence - George VI 2nd Maundy issue?
Check the weight 1.89g and diameter 18mm and the metal (92.5% silver) against the specification table on this page. The reverse design is described above.
History and design
Maundy money is the silver coinage the monarch gives at the Royal Maundy service on the Thursday before Easter. Each recipient's white purse holds as many pence in Maundy coins as the monarch's age, the Royal Mint Museum explains, and the fourpence is the largest of the four coins.
In 1947 silver was removed from all circulating British coins in favour of cupronickel. Wikipedia records that it was felt inappropriate to strike Maundy coins in base metal, so their fineness went the other way, back to sterling (0.925) silver from the 0.500 used since the early 1920s. Tony Clayton treats 1947 and 1948 as a separate type for this reason. CoinVarieties describes the 1948 fourpence as weighing 1.88 g in 0.925 silver.
The type lasted only two years. From 1949 the King's titles on the coinage were shortened, which produced the third George VI Maundy type.
The obverse carries Thomas Humphrey Paget's uncrowned portrait of George VI, the head the Royal Mint Museum calls what has been described as the classic coinage head of the 20th century. TreasureRealm notes Paget's initials HP below the truncation of the neck.
The reverse is the long-standing Maundy design, a crowned 4 dividing the date within an oak wreath. Wikipedia credits it to Jean Baptiste Merlen in 1822, with the crown reworked by Leonard Charles Wyon in 1888.
Collecting notes
Like other Maundy coins, the fourpence was issued as one of a set of four, and the Royal Collection holds its 1948 fourpence within a set. Check whether a coin is offered alone or with its set before comparing listings.
Tony Clayton notes that since 1909 Maundy sets have been available only to recipients and those involved in the ceremony, which is why sets of this period are scarcer than Victorian ones. The CoinVarieties entry adds that most Maundy sets were carefully preserved by their recipients, so Maundy coins are more available today than the low mintage would suggest.
Compare the 50% silver 1937 Maundy fourpence of the previous type.
No recognised varieties or mint errors are documented for this coin.
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)
- Maundy Money, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Values of Maundy Sets, Tony Clayton, Coins of the UK (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Humphrey Paget, Royal Mint Museum (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Initials on British coins, TreasureRealm (read 10 Oct 2026)
- Great Britain 1948 4 pence, CoinVarieties (read 10 Oct 2026)
- George VI set of four Maundy coins, 1948: Maundy fourpence (RCIN 443693.a), Royal Collection Trust (read 10 Oct 2026)
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