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Blue Sheet > Australia> Commonwealth Coinage> Threepence> George V > 1921 Threepence

1921 Threepence


With Australia well into the roaring 20s, the need for circulation currency, in particular the lower denominations was stronger than ever. Just over 5.5 million threepence were needed in 1922 to be struck solely by the Melbourne mint. This meant that the mint had to start production as early as possible but 1922 dated dies were not ready until the 31st of January (Triton Technologies International Ltd, 2004) forcing the Melbourne mint to produce threepence with 1921 dated dies.

Melbourne mint records state that three 1921 reverse dies were available at the Melbourne mint on the 4th of January, and an additional 1 on the 11th. These dies were unused but bore a star mintmark above the date which was intended to indicate that the coins struck only contained 50% silver. This was due to the planned debasement of Australian coins in 1920-1921 which never eventuated. The star had the potential to mislead the public into believing the threepence was debased and thus was removed from the dies causing a visible depression above the date on early 1921 plain threepence and sixpence (Learn more about the 1921 Sixpence) strikes as seen in the illustration below. The Sydney mint was less considerate of this issue and struck shillings in 1921 with the star (Learn more about the 1921-* Shilling).

Depression above date on a 1921 threepence
Depression above date on a 1921 threepence

If we assume a consistent production rate throughout the year, approximately half a million of the 1922 mintage would be dated 1921. These did not display the M mintmark. This conflict of years was made necessary by the strong demand for circulation currency and was not normal mint procedure. 500,000 coins is close to the limit that four dies can effectively produce and considering that 1922 dies were available by the end of January, it seems logical that these dies did not see any use after January.

This leaves an approximate mintage figure for the 1921 plain threepence to be around half a million pieces making it the lowest mintage threepence of the series (short of the 1922/21 overdate - Learn more about the 1922/21 Overdate Threepence).

This type can be differentiated from the 1921-M threepence by the absence of an M mintmark beneath the date. The illustration below shows the more common 1921-M type which was produced in 1921 (Learn more about the 1921-M Threepence).


The 'M' mintmark beneath the date on the 1921-M threepence



It is quite a scarce coin to obtain above VF and very scarce in mint state grades though examples have been certified right up to MS65 (PCGS Population Report, 2010).

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Contents
Mintage
Notes about Mintage

 5,531,000
Reverse Designer
W. H. J. Blakemore
Obverse Designer
Sir E. B. MacKennel
Size
17 mm
Composition
92.50% Silver
7.50% Copper
Bullion Value
$1.19
Reverse
Reverse

Obverse
Obverse

Valuation
Typical Handled: $4  
This valuation represents a typical handled example of the coin. Coins in better condition will command a substantial premium over the listed price. For example, an average 1911 florin is worth around $50, but in choice uncirculated condition is worth about $15,000! To view valuations in higher grades, please click here to subscribe.  

Glossary
  • debase - The state act of reducing the precious metal content of a denomination
  • die - A cylindrical punch with an inverted impression of a coin's design used to strike the coin
  • mint - a facility that produces coins
  • mint state - A state of a coin that shows no signs of circulation
  • mintage - The number of coins struck of a particular designation
  • mintmark - A marking, usually a letter or dot that signifies which mint struck a particular coin
  • overdate - A coin with a numeral in the date punched or tooled over another numeral
  • reverse - The tails side of the coin

Numismatic Glossary - View the full glossary of numismatic terms.

References

References - View full bibliography

Links

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