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Guide
Threepence Values UK: Silver and Brass “Thrupenny Bit”
The threepence has two completely different physical types: a small silver threepence struck from 1551 to
1944, and the chunky 12-sided brass threepence (the "thrupenny bit") struck from 1937 to 1967. For ten years
they ran in parallel. The brass threepence is the more familiar to most British people because it stayed in
everyday change up to decimalisation. The 1937 Edward VIII brass 3d is one of the most famous British 20th
century rarities, with fewer than 12 known.
The obverse of an 1858 threepence.Image: 1858 threepence obverse by Heritage Auctions for the photo, William Wyon designed the coin, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Wondering what a threepence was worth in today’s money? A threepenny bit was a quarter of a shilling. In 1900 it bought roughly what £2 buys today.
Convert any amount and year (1751–2024) with our
old money in today’s money converter.
This guide covers the other question: what the physical coins are worth to collectors.
In brief. Threepences come in two types. Silver: 1551-1944 plus continuing
Maundy issues; small (16 mm), light (1.41 g), .925 then .500 silver. Brass: 1937-1967,
12-sided, 6.80 g, nickel-brass alloy, thrift or portcullis reverse. Demonetised 31 August 1971. Key brass
dates: 1946, 1949, 1951. Legendary rarity: 1937 Edward VIII brass 3d, fewer than 12 known, £30,000+
when one sells.
WatchEvery Brass Threepence - Mintage And ValueEvery brass threepence with mintage and value (Bit's & Bob's) Video: Bit's & Bob's on YouTube
The silver threepence was Britain's smallest silver coin and one of its longest-running denominations. The
modern milled silver threepence began under Charles II (1670s) and ran continuously until 1944, when it was
superseded for everyday use by the brass type. From 1551 (introduced under Edward VI) through to 1816 the
silver threepence was a hand-hammered coin; from the Great Recoinage of 1816 onwards it was milled to
standard specification.
Silver threepences before 1920 are .925 sterling silver; from 1920 to 1944 they are .500 silver. A silver
threepence weighs 1.41 g and measures 16 mm in diameter, making it the smallest pre-decimal silver coin. The
last business-strike silver threepence for circulation was 1941; from 1942 to 1944 the silver threepence was
issued only for Commonwealth territories (notably the West Indies and the Pacific) where the brass design
was not adopted.
Maundy threepences are silver threepences struck specifically for the annual Royal Maundy ceremony, in which
the monarch distributes specially-prepared sets of small silver coins (1d, 2d, 3d, 4d) to elderly recipients
on Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday). Maundy issues are still struck today in proof quality. The
Maundy threepence is identifiable by its proof-like finish and (since 1971) by its decimal designation: a
Maundy threepence struck after 1971 has a face value of 3p decimal but is still a separate Maundy issue.
Maundy threepences trade at £15-100 per coin depending on date and condition. Early Victorian Maundy
sets in original cases trade at £200-800. Modern Elizabeth II Maundy threepences from the 1990s and
2000s trade at £30-80. The Royal Mint Museum has full mintage records for every Maundy issue.
The 12-sided brass threepence was introduced in 1937 to replace the small silver threepence, which was
increasingly inconvenient: too small to handle easily, too easy to lose, and expensive to produce in silver.
The new brass coin was distinct in three ways: 12-sided shape (instantly recognisable by feel), heavy
nickel-brass alloy (yellow colour, no silver content), and a substantially thicker planchet that made it
harder to mistake for any other denomination.
Specifications: 6.80 g, 21 mm flat-to-flat, 2.5 mm thick, alloy 79% copper / 20% zinc / 1% nickel. The
1937-1952 George VI issues carry a thrift plant (sea-thrift) reverse by Frances Madge Kitchener; the
1953-1967 Elizabeth II issues from 1953 carry a crowned portcullis reverse. The first-year 1937 brass 3d is
the most-collected single date because it is the inaugural year of the new design.
Date
Mintage
Notes
VF realised
1937
45,707,957
First year George VI; thrift reverse
£2–£10
1942
7,251,608
Wartime
£2–£8
1946
455,000
Key date
£40, £200
1948
4,230,400
Lower mintage
£3–£15
1949
464,000
Key date, second-rarest of brass series
£30, £180
1950
1,600,000
Lower mintage
£10–£40
1951
1,184,200
Festival of Britain year; lower mintage
£15, £60
1953
30,618,000
First year Elizabeth II; portcullis reverse from this year
£3–£12
1967
151,780,800
Last circulation strike year
£1–£5
The 1937 Edward VIII brass threepence
The 1937 Edward VIII brass 3d is the most famous British 20th-century rarity after the 1933 penny. Unlike
the other Edward VIII pattern coins (which exist only as a small number of pre-coronation test strikes), the
brass 3d had been manufactured in larger pre-issue quantities for distribution to vending-machine operators,
so they could test their machines for compatibility with the new 12-sided shape. When the abdication occurred
on 11 December 1936, most of these test pieces were recalled and destroyed, but a small number escaped into
circulation through accident or theft.
Fewer than 12 examples are known to exist today. Confirmed sales of Edward VIII brass 3d coins include:
Spink in 2014 (auctioned a piece for over £30,000); the Pool family example sold privately around
2018 for a reported £45,000; an example slabbed by PCGS in MS-63 has changed hands at over £50,000.
Any 1937 brass 3d offered for sale at modest prices is a modern reproduction or a misidentified normal 1937
George VI piece (which has the same date but the George VI obverse).
Reverse designs in detail
The thrift plant (1937-1952)
Frances Madge Kitchener's thrift design shows a stylised plant of Armeria maritima (sea-thrift, also
called sea-pink), with the legend "THREE PENCE" arching above and the date below. Thrift was chosen as a
visual pun on the coin's small denomination and the virtue of frugality, particularly resonant in the
pre-war and wartime years. Kitchener was the wife of George Kruger Gray (designer of the same period's
shilling and florin), and the thrift design is one of the best-loved British coin designs of the 20th century.
The portcullis (1953-1967)
From 1953 (Elizabeth II Coronation year), the brass threepence carried a Tudor-crowned portcullis, the badge
of the Houses of Parliament. Designed by William Gardner. The portcullis (a heavy gate that drops vertically
to seal a castle entrance) symbolises the Palace of Westminster and is one of the badges of the Sovereign
of England. The 1953-1967 portcullis brass threepence is the design most British people from that generation
remember from everyday change.
Brass threepences grade by surface preservation. Mint state pieces show full lustre on the high points of
the thrift plant or portcullis, sharp edge corners on the 12 sides, and no rim chips. Circulated pieces
show wear on the highest points first: the thrift flowers, the crown above the portcullis, the king's ear.
The 12-sided edge is a useful grading indicator; corner sharpness is one of the first things to soften in
use. Read our how to grade a coin guide for the
full Sheldon scale.
The links below open eBay UK searches; if you buy through them, MyCoinage earns a small commission at no cost to you.
The two-tier threepence market splits between the silver coins (1547-1944) and the brass dodecagonal coins
(1937-1967). Common silver threepences trade at £1-3, brass dodecagonals at £0.50-2 in worn grade. The 1937 Edward VIII brass pattern is the headline rarity (£30,000+); 1925 Wreath threepence and 1946/49 silver issues are the next-most-collected.
A threepence ("thrupenny bit" in everyday speech) was a British coin worth three pence in the old £sd system, or one fortieth of a pound. The denomination has two completely different physical types: a small silver threepence struck from 1551 to 1944 (the "silver thru'penny"), and a chunky 12-sided brass threepence struck from 1937 to 1967 (the "brass thrupenny bit"). For ten years (1937-1944) both types ran in parallel: the silver threepence was kept in production for use in Maundy Money and as a currency coin in some Commonwealth territories, while the brass threepence carried the everyday workload at home.
What is a brass threepence worth?
A common-date brass threepence in worn condition is worth £1-3; in mint state, £5-25 for most years. Key dates are 1946 (mintage 455,000), 1949 (mintage 464,000) and 1951 (mintage 1,184,200), all considerably scarcer than typical years and trading at £30-200 in collectable grades. The 1937 first-year George VI is the most-collected single date. The 1937 Edward VIII brass 3d is the legendary rarity, with fewer than 12 known and individual examples having sold for £30,000+.
What is a silver threepence worth?
Common Victorian and George V silver threepences trade at £3-15 in average grade. Key dates and proof issues fetch £30-300. The 1937 last business-strike year is collectable. Maundy threepences (proof-quality coins struck for the annual Royal Maundy ceremony) are a separate sub-series and trade at £15-100 per coin depending on date, much higher for early Victorian Maundy. Silver threepences contain a small bullion content (under 1.5 g of pure silver) and the bullion floor is around £1-2 per coin.
What is the 1937 Edward VIII brass threepence?
The 1937 Edward VIII brass 3d is the most famous British 20th-century rarity after the 1933 penny. Edward VIII abdicated on 11 December 1936 before any of his coinage entered circulation. Unlike the other Edward VIII patterns (where only a tiny number were ever struck), the brass 3d had been manufactured in larger pre-issue quantities for distribution to vending-machine operators for testing the new 12-sided shape. When the coronation was cancelled, most were called back and destroyed, but a small number escaped into circulation. Fewer than 12 are known to exist today and individual examples have sold for £30,000-50,000 at auction.
Why is the brass threepence 12-sided?
The 12-sided shape was a deliberate choice in 1937 to make the new brass threepence instantly distinguishable from the old silver threepence by feel alone, even in a dark pocket. The shape also made the coin cheaper to produce (it could be punched from sheet brass at less waste than a circular blank) and harder to counterfeit. The 1937 brass threepence was the first non-circular British coin since the 1696 octagonal pattern shilling. The 12-sided shape was later reused for the 2017 redesign of the £1 coin, partly as a homage to the old thrupenny bit.
What does the brass threepence weigh?
A brass threepence weighs 6.80 g and measures 21 mm across the flats (25 mm corner-to-corner) and 2.5 mm thick. The brass alloy is 79% copper, 20% zinc and 1% nickel (sometimes described as "nickel-brass"). The 12-sided shape gives the coin a distinctive feel; once you have handled one, you can identify it without looking. The brass threepence is heavier than its small size suggests and is one of the most chunky-feeling coins in British 20th-century currency.
What is on the reverse of a brass threepence?
The 1937 to 1952 George VI brass threepence carried a thrift plant (sea-thrift, also called sea-pink), designed by Frances Madge Kitchener. Thrift was chosen as a play on the coin's small denomination and the wartime virtue of frugality. The 1953 to 1967 Elizabeth II brass threepence kept the thrift design until 1953, then changed to a Tudor crown above a chained portcullis (the badge of the Houses of Parliament). The portcullis design ran 1953-1967 and is the design most people remember from childhood.
What is a Maundy threepence?
Maundy threepences are silver threepences struck specifically for the annual Royal Maundy ceremony, in which the monarch distributes specially-prepared sets of small silver coins (1d, 2d, 3d, 4d) to elderly recipients on Maundy Thursday (the day before Good Friday). Maundy issues continued every year throughout the modern period and are still struck today (in proof quality, with face-value purchasing power preserved by Treasury accounting). Maundy threepences differ from circulation silver threepences in finish (proof-like) and in mintage (typically a few hundred per year). They trade at £15-100 per coin depending on date and condition.
When was the threepence demonetised?
The brass threepence was demonetised on 31 August 1971, six months after Decimal Day. Its old-money value of three pence equalled 1.25 new pence, an awkward decimal that had no practical use in the new system. The silver threepence had stopped being a circulating coin much earlier (last business strike 1944) but remained in Maundy issue. The decimal threepence does not exist; the closest decimal small-coin equivalents are the 1p and 2p, neither of which matches the brass thrupenny's value.
How much is a 1953 threepence worth?
The 1953 Elizabeth II Coronation brass threepence is the first-year Elizabethan issue and a popular collector's coin. Common circulation strikes trade at £1-5 in worn condition and £5-20 in mint state. The 1953 was issued in coronation proof sets (cased blue boxes) which trade for £30-60 today. There is also a "specimen" issue from plastic-set Coronation gift packs, which trades at £5-15 depending on the original packaging condition.
How do I authenticate a 1937 Edward VIII brass threepence?
Three checks plus expert confirmation: (1) Weight: must be 6.80 g ± 0.10 g. (2) Diameter: 21 mm flat-to-flat. (3) Edges: must be exactly 12 sides, sharp and uniform, not rounded. (4) Obverse: must show Edward VIII facing left (he insisted on his "good side" being shown, breaking the tradition that monarchs face opposite directions to their predecessor). However, weight and dimension match is necessary but not sufficient: any 1937 Edward VIII brass 3d worth more than £100 should be authenticated by PCGS or NGC. Modern reproductions are common; only third-party slabs guarantee authenticity for a coin of this value.
Where should I sell rare threepences?
For the 1937 Edward VIII brass 3d, the 1946 and 1949 brass keys, and any high-grade silver Maundy threepence, consign to Baldwin's, Spink or Noonans. For high-value Edward VIII 3d examples specifically, Heritage Auctions in the US has the strongest international market. For common dates and worn material, eBay UK and local fairs work well. PCGS or NGC slab any high-value piece before consignment.
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