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Australia 1921 (M) Threepence

Mint:Melbourne Mintage:Part 7,378,973 - Estimate 200,000 Milling:Plain
Weight:1.41 grams Diameter:16 mm Composition:92.5% Silver, 7.5% Copper
Click to enlarge
Back
Wear
Obverse 2 - English
Click to enlarge
Back
Wear
Reverse B - London
Designer: Sir (Edgar) Bertram Mackennal (Initials 'B.M.' raised on truncation)
Design:Left facing profile of George V
Legend:GEORGIVS V D . G . BRITT: OMN: REX F . D . IND: IMP: •
Denticle Count:121 teeth
Mint mark: None
Characteristics:
I
Designer: William Henry James Blakemore (no attribution)
Design:Star above a Kangaroo and Emu standing left and right of the Armorial Ensigns of the Commonwealth of Australia. 'ADVANCE AUSTRALIA' in ribbon below. ∋ ∈
Legend:THREEPENCE
Denticle Count:115 teeth
Mint mark: None
Characteristics:
Click on Wear to show high points first susceptible to wear
Value
BM
Ad
NP
8
Good
VG10
10
VG
F12
12
about F
F15
15
Fine
VF20
20
good F
VF25
25
about VF
VF30
30
Very Fine
VF35
35
good VF
EF40
40
about EF
EF45
45
Ext Fine
AU50
50
good EF
AU53
53
about Unc
AU55
58+
virt Unc
AU58
58-60
Uncirc
MS60
58-61
Uncirc
MS61
58-62
Uncirc
MS62
63-64
Choice Unc
MS63
64-65
near Gem
MS64
65-66
Gem
MS65
66-67
Gem
MS66
67-68
Gem
MS67
68
near Flaw
MS68
69
virt Flaw
MS69
70
Flawless
MS70
Proof
BV
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
BV
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
BV
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
1
 
$8
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
$10
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
$15
+
NGC
1
 
PCGS
1
 
$30
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
$50
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
$100
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
2
 
$125
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
3
 
$225
+
NGC
1
 
PCGS
 
 
$350
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
6
 
$900
+
NGC
3
 
PCGS
13
 
$1250
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
$1500
+
NGC
2
 
PCGS
1
 
$2000
+
NGC
1
 
PCGS
 
 
$3000
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
15
 
$4500
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
11
2
$7000
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
4
 
$10000
+
NGC
1
 
PCGS
2
 
$15000
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
$27500
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
-
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
-
+
NGC
 
 
PCGS
 
 
N
BM
Benchmark
Ad
Adjectival
NP
NGC/PCGS
Collectable grades
Does not exist by definition

Investment grades
-
Unlikely to exist

Aspirational grades
BV
Bullion or metal value

Not known in these grades
''
Value as above
Proof
Y (Yes)
N (Not known)
Last updated April 2024
Notes:
The vast majority of the 7,378,973 threepences struck in 1921 bear the ' M ' mint mark and are generally of very high quality. The 1921 'no mint mark' threepences which constitute a much smaller percentage, are not as sharply struck on the reverse, which leads to the proposition that they are probably the product of dies the Melbourne Mint had adapted from a London working die. Melbourne had already used this skill in 1919 when it produced master dies for the 1919 //. Penny from a pair of London working dies. In that instance the Melbourne Mint had added a dot '//.' to claim its additional work, but with the 1921 Threepence the 'M' mint mark was removed. This was probably to accommodate a '*' being added to the design to signify the anticipated debasement of the silver content, which in the end did not occur. Evidence suggests the 1921 Plain Threepence was struck in 1922 on just a couple of reverse dies. The 1921 'Plain' threepences usually show evidence of having been struck on a rusty obverse die suggesting an interrupted production. You should expect to pay a premium for a coin with a normal looking obverse.