Three Pence - The Smallest Australian Silver Coins
Posted on Oct 22, 2008 under australian silver coins | 3 CommentsThe smallest Australian silver coin, the three pence, or thrupence, was issued in Australia from 1911 to 1964 (manufacture began in 1910). During this period Australia was under the reigns of Kings Edward VII, George V, George VI and Queen Elizabeth II, whose portraits all appear on the obverse.
The reverse showcased the Australian Coat of Arms from 1910 - 1936. in 1937 it was changed to three stalks of wheat with a ribbon.
Although they are Australian silver coins, the three pence are quite worldly little coins! Until 1915 they were produced by the Royal London Mint. Following that they were either minted in Melbourne or Sydney, and from 1942-44 (during WWII) in USA. Again in 1951 London Mint helped out by producing 40,000 three pence coins. Australia was experiencing an economic boom at the time and the local mints couldn’t keep up with demand!
Now, stay with me for this bit - it gets a little confusing. Those first three pence minted in London have no distinguishing marks. Those produced in Melbourne (1916 - 1921) are distinguished by an “M” under the date. Following that, there are no marks on the Melbourne coins. From 1921 to 1926 Sydney Mint joined the process, although there are no marks on these coins. The coins produced in the USA have an “S” on those made in San Francisco (not to be confused with Sydney!) or a “D” on those from Denver mints. The second run of London Mint coins can be identified by the “PL” either side of the wheat stalks on the reverse.
Until 1944 the threepence was minted in sterling silver. Following WWII the silver content was reduced to 50% with 40% copper, 5% zinc and 5% nickel. This was the case with other Australian silver coins, as the government cut costs in order to pay off a very large WWII debt.
The small size of the coin (only 16mm) means extra skill and care were needed in the preparation and maintenance of dies. As a result many coins appear to be quite worn, when in fact the issues were with the minting process. Dirt and oil would find its way into crevices in the die creating in a weak strike. Occasionally, the quality of the die was simply below par. In addition, in order to increase the working life of the dies weaker strikes were sometimes ordered (probably to reduce costs during the war).
These problems with dies caused some common issues with the Australian silver three pence: the diamonds and pearls in George V’s crown not fully appearing, as well as the wheat stalks on the reverse not imprinting completely.
It pays to be aware of these issues, as they are not directly related to the condition of the coin. On the other hand, sterling silver wears relatively quickly so there are a number of these Australian silver coins showing considerable wear.
