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86-612: 51°22′30″N 0°05′28″W  /  51.3749°N 0.0910°W  / 51.3749; -0.0910 No. 1 Croydon (formerly the NLA Tower , and colloquially the 50p Building , the Weddingcake or the Threepenny bit building) is a tall building at 12–16 Addiscombe Road, Croydon , Greater London , next to East Croydon station . It was designed by Richard Seifert & Partners and completed in 1970. It has 24 storeys and

172-458: A "G" in the centre, and the inscription THREE PENCE date . The inscription on the obverse throughout the reign was GEORGIVS V D G BRITT OMN REX F D IND IMP . The threepences of King Edward VIII were all patterns awaiting royal approval at the time of the abdication in December 1936. The silver threepence had another completely new reverse – three interlinked rings of Saint Edmund , with

258-605: A fixed 1:1 basis, and so day-to-day banking operations continued exactly as they had been before the creation of the Irish pound. The Irish pound was decimalised on 15 February 1971, the same date as the British pound. This arrangement continued until 1979 when Irish obligations to the European Monetary System led to Ireland breaking the historic link with sterling. In Ireland, all pre-decimal coins , except

344-457: A left-facing bust of the King, with the inscription GEORGIVS II DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date . While the silver threepence was minted as a currency coin until nearly the middle of the 20th century, it is clear that the purpose of the coin changed during the reign of King George III (1760–1820). In the first two years of minting, 1762 and 1763,

430-537: A move to encourage people to pick up coin collecting and numismatics. The London Mint Office oversaw the sale of the coins, which all date from George V's reign and were valued at a total of approximately £1m, although a more realistic valuation would be in the region of £60,000. Decimal Day Decimal Day ( Irish : Lá Deachúil ) in the United Kingdom and in Ireland was Monday 15 February 1971,

516-539: A number of old pence which was not 0 or 6 did not convert into a round number of new pence. The Irish pound had the same £sd currency structure, and the same decimalisation was carried out. The Russian ruble was the first decimal currency to be used in Europe, dating to 1704, though China had been using a decimal system for at least 2000 years . Elsewhere, the Coinage Act of 1792 introduced decimal currency to

602-478: A quarter of a shilling , initially it was not popular with the public who preferred the groat (four pence). Edward VI threepences were struck at the London and York mints. The obverse shows a front-facing bust of the king, with a rose to the left and the value numeral III to the right, surrounded by the legend EDWARD VI D G ANG FRA Z HIB REX . The reverse shows a long cross over the royal shield, surrounded by

688-447: A right-facing bust of the King, with the inscription GEORGIVS DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date . Unusually, the same young portrait of King George II was used on the threepence throughout his reign (1727–60), despite an older portrait being used on other denominations from 1743. Threepences were produced in 1729, 1731, 1732, 1735, 1737, 1739, 1740, 1743, 1746, and 1760. The obverse shows

774-404: A shield over a cross, and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO . The milled silver threepences of Charles II form two types. There is the undated issue which looks very like the earlier hammered coinage, with a crowned left-facing bust of the king with the denomination indicated by III behind his head, and the inscription CAROLVS II D G M B F & H REX , with the reverse showing a shield encircling

860-494: A six-month exterior cleaning project, a new lobby, landscaping and common areas, and refurbishment of the top ten floors to provide 74,543 square feet (6,925 m) of high spec, air-conditioned office accommodation. A substantial amount of work had already been done to improve the façade of the tower. It was identified in a Channel 4 programme as one of the UK's top eyesores. A spokesman for building restoration firm Triton said: "Work

946-534: A slightly lower silver content. There was also a fairly rare milled coinage threepence, produced between 1561 and 1564 with similar designs and inscriptions to the hammered coinage threepences. The threepence denomination fell out of use again during the reign of King James I , while during King Charles I 's reign (1625–49) it was not produced at the London Tower mint, but was produced (sometimes in some quantity) at various provincial mints. The denomination

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1032-416: A slot machine manufacturing company for testing. The whereabouts of six of those 12 are known. However, the other six are still out there somewhere and, as such, they are extremely rare today. An example was put up for auction in 2013, expecting £30,000. There are two types of Edward VIII brass threepences. The first type has the date broken by a thrift plant design and the second has the date below. During

1118-431: A song by Max Bygraves called "Decimalisation". The BBC broadcast a series of five-minute programmes, titled "Decimal Five", to which The Scaffold contributed some specially written tunes. ITV repeatedly broadcast a short drama called Granny Gets The Point starring Doris Hare , in which an elderly woman who does not understand the new system is taught to use it by her grandson. At 10 a.m. on 15 February and again

1204-645: A value of 5 new pence, and the old florin with a value of 10 new pence. Unlike in the UK, where the sixpence continued to circulate at a value of ⁠2 + 1 / 2 ⁠ p, the Irish sixpence was withdrawn from circulation after decimalisation. The ten-shilling note was withdrawn from circulation, but the other Series A banknotes continued in use. A twenty-pence coin was introduced in 1986. The decimal halfpenny ( ⁠ 1 / 2 ⁠ p) remained in circulation until 1987, when its value had been greatly reduced by inflation . Very few were produced after

1290-435: Is 269 feet (82 m) high. 'NLA' stood for 'Noble Lowndes Annuities'. It was one of many new buildings constructed in the growing town of Croydon in the 1960s. The development of tall buildings was later encouraged in the 2004 London Plan , which led to the erection of new skyscrapers as Greater London went through a high-rise boom. A refurbishment programme costing over £3.5 million was completed in early 2007. It included

1376-462: Is also referred to as The Wedding Cake . The resemblance to threepenny and 50p coins is approximate, as the building's floors are octagonal (8 sides) whereas threepenny coins were dodecagonal (12 sides) and 50p coins are heptagonal (7 sides). The building was used as part of an establishing shot in Croydon in the opening credits of the 1980s British sitcom Terry and June . It also appeared in

1462-410: Is believed a handful escaped, with one example selling for £62,000 at auction in 2020. The final hammered coinage threepences were produced at the start of the reign of King Charles II . In style they are very reminiscent of his father's issues, the obverse featuring the bust of the king, with the numeral III and the legend CAROLUS II D G MAG BRI F ET H REX , with the reverse showing the royal arms on

1548-475: Is identified by the numeral III appearing behind the king's head. By far the most common Charles I threepences were produced at the Aberystwyth mint between 1638 and 1642. They feature a left-facing crowned bust of the king with plumes in front of his face and the numeral III behind him, with the legend CAROLUS DG MA B FR ET H REX (or a combination of M(A) B F(R) ET H(I)(B) depending on the engraver), with

1634-461: Is running to schedule and within budget." No. 1 Croydon is occupied by a number of companies and organisations, including Atkins , Directline holidays and dotdigital . In November 2014, a branch of Sainsbury's Local was opened in part of the former courtyard on the north side of the building, effectively forming a part of the structure. The new building attracted criticism on aesthetic grounds and also in respect of safety due to its proximity to

1720-707: The Black Mirror interactive film Bandersnatch , as housing the offices of fictional game software developer Tuckersoft. The campaign for heritage listing No. 1 Croydon is supported by the Twentieth Century Society , but this was turned down by English Heritage in 2013. Threepence (British coin) The sum of three pence was pronounced variously / ˈ θ r ʊ p ɛ n s / THRUUP -ənss , / ˈ θ r ɛ p ə n s / THREP -ənss or / ˈ θ r ʌ p ə n s / THRUP -ənss , reflecting different pronunciations in

1806-527: The Select committee on Weights and Measures favoured the introduction of decimalisation to accompany the introduction of metric weights and measures . The Royal Commission on Decimal Coinage (1918–1920), chaired by Lord Emmott , reported in 1920 that the only feasible scheme was to divide the pound into 1,000 mills (the pound and mill system, first proposed in 1824), but that it would be too inconvenient to introduce. A minority of four members said that

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1892-459: The 1 s. , 2 s. and 10 s. coins, were called in during the initial process between 1969 and 1972; the ten shilling coin , which, as recently issued and in any event equivalent to 50p, was permitted to remain outstanding (though due to silver content, the coin did not circulate widely). The 1 s. and 2 s. were recalled in 1993 and 1994, respectively. Pre-decimal Irish coins may still be redeemed at their face value equivalent in euros at

1978-714: The Central Bank in Dublin. Pre-decimal Irish coins were denoted with s for shillings and d for pence, abbreviations derived from the Latin solidi and denarii , in contrast to stamps, which instead bore Irish-language abbreviations ( scilling ("shilling", abbreviated " s ") and pingin ("penny", abbreviated " p ")). After decimalisation, coins were marked with the Irish-language abbreviations. While British stamps switched from 'd' to 'p', Irish stamps (unlike

2064-524: The Protestants , the laws of England, the liberty of Parliament 1644 , while around the outside of the coin is the legend EXURGAT DEUS DISSIPENTUR INIMICI  – Let God arise and His enemies be scattered . This was repeated in 1645, but with a plumelet instead of a plume in front of the king's face. In 1644 the Exeter mint produced a fairly scarce threepence. It features a left-facing crowned bust of

2150-539: The Tramlink track bed. No. 1 Croydon was originally known colloquially as the Threepenny Bit Building , due to its resemblance to a number of threepence coins stacked on top of each other. After the coins stopped being used following decimalisation the building eventually gained the alternative nickname the 50p Building , as it also resembles a stack of the now more familiar 50p pieces ; and it

2236-456: The lowest common multiple of the two systems). Conversion tables were provided, showing how prices in £sd rounded to the new currency: this including saying 3d was equivalent to 1p though 9d was equivalent to 4p. This led to some anomalies: school meals were charged at 1s 9d a day or 8s 9d for a five-day week; these became 9p a day or 45p a week despite the conversion tables suggesting 8s 9d should be 44p. Because of extensive preparations and

2322-601: The old penny (1d) and old threepence (3d) coins had left circulation, and old sixpences had become somewhat rare. On 31 August 1971, the 1d and 3d were officially withdrawn from circulation, ending the transition period to decimal currency. The government intended that in speech, the new units would be called "new pence"; however, the British public quickly began to refer to pennies as "pee" when shortened, with "10p" pronounced as "ten pee" instead of "ten new pence". Other shortenings previously common, such as "tuppence", were now rarely heard, and terms such as "tanner" (used for

2408-436: The "old head" (1893–1901) are inscribed VICTORIA DEI GRA BRITT REGINA FID DEF IND IMP . The currency threepence was issued for each of the nine years of the reign of King Edward VII from 1902. The reverse design remained the same, while the obverse showed the right-facing effigy of the king, with the inscription EDWARDVS VII D G BRITT OMN REX F D IND IMP . The reign of King George V (1910–1936) features several changes to

2494-478: The 12-sided brass threepences were being struck in large numbers. In March 2014, the Royal Mint announced that a new design of one pound coin would be introduced in 2017, reprising the twelve-sided shape. The new coin was designed to be more difficult to counterfeit. In October 2019, it was announced that 120,000 silver threepences dated to 1935 and earlier were to be sold to the general public, as part of

2580-474: The 1960s, adopting respectively the South African rand , Australian dollar and New Zealand dollar equal in value to 10 shillings. However, Halsbury decided that the pound sterling's importance as a reserve currency meant that the pound should remain unchanged. Under the new system, the pound was retained, but was divided into 100 new pence, denoted by the symbol p . New coinage was issued alongside

2666-497: The 1970–71 season. High-denomination (10p, 20p and 50p) stamps were issued on 17 June 1970. Post offices were issued with simplified training stamps in the same colours as the upcoming decimal stamps. Exceptions to the 15 February introduction of decimalisation were British Rail and London Transport , which had gone decimal one day early, the former urging customers, if they chose to use pennies or threepenny pieces, to pay them in multiples of 6d ( ⁠2 + 1 / 2 ⁠ p,

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2752-654: The Aberystwyth dies for the obverse, while the reverse of the 1644 coin shows the Declaration of Oxford in three lines: RELI PRO LEG ANG LIB PAR. 1644 OX  – The religion of the Protestants, the laws of England, the liberty of Parliament. 1644 Oxford , while around the outside of the coin is the legend EXURGAT DEUS DISSIPENTUR INIMICI  – Let God arise and His enemies be scattered . This coin also appears dated 1646. A further type produced at Oxford had on

2838-454: The Aberystwyth product but without the plumes – the obverse features a left-facing crowned bust of the king with the numeral III behind him, with the legend CAROLUS D G MAG BR FR ET HI REX , with the reverse showing the royal arms on a shield over a cross, with EBOR over the shield and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO . Coins were produced at the Oxford mint between 1644 and 1646, using

2924-463: The French franc three decades earlier. Following this, little progress towards decimalisation was made in the United Kingdom for over a century, with the exception of the two shilling silver florin , first issued on 1849, worth ⁠ 1 / 10 ⁠ of a pound. A double florin or four shilling piece, introduced in 1887, was a further step towards decimalisation, but failed to gain acceptance and

3010-673: The Government to set up the Committee of the Inquiry on Decimal Currency (Halsbury Committee) in 1961, which reported in 1963. The adoption of the changes suggested in the report was announced on 1 March 1966. The Decimal Currency Board (DCB) was created to manage the transition, but the plans were only approved by Parliament with the Decimal Currency Act 1967 (c. 47). The former Greater London Council leader Bill Fiske

3096-544: The United States, the first English-speaking country to adopt a decimalised currency. In France, the decimal French franc was introduced in 1795. Before the 1970s, earlier efforts in the United Kingdom to introduce decimalised currency had failed; in 1824, the United Kingdom Parliament rejected Sir John Wrottesley 's proposals to decimalise sterling, which were prompted by the introduction of

3182-543: The arms of England, Scotland, Ireland and France with the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO . This was followed by the dated issue, issued each year from 1670 to 1684, where the obverse features a right-facing uncrowned bust of the king and the inscription CAROLVS II DEI GRATIA , with the reverse showing three crowned interlinked "C"s (indicating the value) and the inscription MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX date . All milled silver threepences were 17 millimetres in diameter and weighed 1.5 grams – dimensions which were unchanged until near

3268-461: The best conditions when the higher striking standard of the Maundy coins stands out; when the currency was decimalised in 1971, all silver threepences from 1870 onwards were revalued at three new pence, not just the Maundy coins. Threepences were produced both with the "young head" (1838–87) and with the "Jubilee head" (1887–93), inscribed VICTORIA D G BRITANNIAR REGINA F D , while those produced with

3354-403: The brass threepence remained the same in the reign of Queen Elizabeth II . The effigy of the queen produced by Mary Gillick was used, with the inscription ELIZABETH II DEI GRA BRITT OMN REGINA F D used in 1953, and ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F D used in all other years. The reverse shows a Tudor portcullis with chains and a coronet, with the inscription THREE PENCE date . This coin

3440-610: The bulk of the production of the denomination, being produced in all years between 1937 and 1952 except 1947. Apart from the king's head and name, and the weight being increased to 6.8 grams (0.24 oz), the coin was identical to that prepared for Edward VIII. Coins dated 1946 and 1949 were minted in far fewer numbers than the rest, and as nickel-brass wears very quickly; higher grade specimens of these coins are expensive to buy now (both over £500 for uncirculated examples ). The scarce dates are 1948, 1950 and 1951 and these are now selling for £60–£80 in mint state. The physical dimensions of

3526-425: The change. Prior to Decimal Day, items priced in both currencies had displayed the price in predecimalised currency first, with the price in decimal currency last in parentheses. From Decimal Day onwards, this order was reversed, with decimal currency presented first, and predecimal currency last in parentheses; for example, 1s (5p) would become 5p (1s) . This latter order was used on most football programmes during

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3612-409: The clearing system to be processed and customers' account balances to be converted from £sd to decimal. In many banks, the conversion was done manually, as few bank branches were then computerised. February had been chosen for Decimal Day because it was the quietest time of the year for the banks, shops and transport organisations. Many items were priced in both currencies for some time before and after

3698-478: The coin was obviously produced for general circulation as examples are generally found well worn; on the other hand, coins from the late issue (1817–20) are usually found in very fine condition, indicating that they were probably issued as Maundy money . Over the length of the reign there were several different designs of obverse and reverse in use. Threepences were issued in 1762–63, 1765–66, 1770, 1772, 1780, 1784, 1786, 1792, 1795, 1800, 1817, 1818, and 1820. From 1817

3784-536: The coins) printed the number with no accompanying letter; so a stamp worth 2 new pence was marked '2p' in the UK and simply '2' in Ireland. The following is a table showing conversions between the Irish decimal and pre-decimal systems. It was similar to the British one, except for the higher-value coins. Ireland's new decimal coinage had face values of ⁠ 1 / 2 ⁠ p , 1p , 2p , 5p , 10p and 50p . The old shilling coin continued to circulate with

3870-448: The day on which each country decimalised its respective £sd currency of pounds , shillings , and pence . Before this date, the British pound sterling (symbol "£") was subdivided into 20 shillings, each of 12 (old) pence, a total of 240 pence. With decimalisation, the pound kept its old value and name, but the shilling was abolished, and the pound was divided into 100 new pence (abbreviated to "p"). The new coins initially featured

3956-484: The diameter was 21 millimetres (0.83 in) across the sides and 22 millimetres (0.87 in) across the corners. The obverse shows a left-facing effigy of the king (not right as would have been the convention to alternate the direction) with the inscription EDWARDVS VIII D G BR OMN REX F D IND IMP , and the reverse shows a three-headed thrift plant with the inscription THREE PENCE 1937 . A total of just 12 of these coins were struck for experimental purposes and sent to

4042-499: The dimensions of the coin were reduced to a weight of 1.4 grams (defined as 1 ⁄ 22   troy ounce ) and diameter of 16 millimetres, following the Great Recoinage of 1816 . The inscription on the obverse reads GEORGIVS III DEI GRATIA up to 1800, and GEORGIUS III DEI GRATIA date from 1817. The reverse inscription reads MAG BRI FR ET HIB REX date up to 1800 and BRITANNIARUM REX FID DEF date from 1817. By

4128-681: The disruption would be worthwhile. A further three members recommended that the pound should be replaced by the royal, consisting of 100 halfpennies , with there then being 4.8 royals to the former pound. In 1960, a report prepared jointly by the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Association of British Chambers of Commerce , followed by the success of decimalisation in South Africa, prompted

4214-452: The end of the reign of George III. A similar threepence was produced for King James II , dated 1685 to 1688, the obverse showing a left-facing bust of the king and the inscription IACOBVS II DEI GRATIA , with the reverse showing three crowned "I"s (indicating the value) and the inscription MAG BR FRA ET HIB REX date . For the joint reign of King William III and Queen Mary II , threepences were produced in all years from 1689 to 1694. For

4300-449: The first two years a somewhat caricatured portrait of the monarchs was used, replaced by a rather more staid portrait in 1691, with the inscription GVLIELMVS ET MARIA D G , while the reverse shows a crowned Arabic number "3" and the inscription MAG BR FR ET HIB REX ET REGINA date . For the sole reign of William III, the design remained very similar, with the inscriptions changed to GVLIELMVS III DEI GRA and MAG BR FR ET HIB REX date . In

4386-562: The following week, BBC 1 broadcast 'New Money Day', a Merry-Go Round schools' programme in which puppet maker Peter Firmin and his small friend Muskit encountered different prices and new coins when they visited the shops. Banks received stocks of the new coins in advance, which were issued to retailers shortly before Decimal Day to enable them to give change immediately after the changeover. Banks were closed from 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday 10 February 1971 to 10:00 a.m. on Monday 15 February to enable all outstanding cheques and credits in

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4472-642: The inscription FID DEF IND IMP 1937 THREE PENCE , while the obverse shows a left-facing effigy of the king with the inscription EDWARDVS VIII D G BR OMN REX and a very small silver engravement. By the end of George V's reign the threepence had become unpopular in England because of its small size ( George Orwell comments on this in Keep the Aspidistra Flying ), but it remained popular in Scotland. It

4558-499: The king with the numeral III behind him, with the legend CAROLUS D G MA BR F ET H RE , with the reverse showing the royal arms on a shield with the date 1644 above the shield, and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO . No threepences were produced by the Commonwealth of England . A quantity of (370,000) silver threepences were struck dated 1945, although these were all melted with the metal used in other mint products. However, it

4644-410: The legend (London mint) POSUI DEUM ADIUTOREM MEUM ( I have made God my helper ), or (York mint) CIVITAS EBORACI ( City of York ). Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603) produced threepences during her third coinage (1561–1577). Most 1561 issues are 21 mm in diameter, while later ones are 19 mm in diameter. These coins are identifiable from other denominations by the rose behind the queen's head on

4730-446: The obverse the king's bust with the denomination behind him, and the letter "R" (for Rawlins, the maker of the die) below the king's shoulder and the legend CAROLUS D G M BR F ET H REX and the Aberystwyth reverse. The mint at Bristol produced rare threepences in 1644 and 1645. In 1644 the Aberystwyth obverse was used to produce a coin with the reverse showing the Declaration of Oxford: REL PRO LEG AN LIB PA 1644  – The religion of

4816-425: The obverse, and the date on the reverse. The obverse shows a left-facing crowned bust of the queen with a rose behind her, surrounded by the legend ELIZABETH D G ANG FR ET HIB REGINA , while the reverse shows shield over a long cross, dated 1561, surrounded by the legend POSUI DEU ADIUTOREM MEU . Dates used for the smaller coins were 1561–77. Threepences of the fourth coinage (1578–1582) are identical except for having

4902-538: The old and new coins. The following is a table showing conversions between the decimal and pre-decimal systems. In response to the change, some new coins were stamped with phrases such as " DUD ". All predecimal coins, except for certain non-circulating coins such as crowns , sovereigns and double florins which were explicitly excluded from demonetisation, are now no longer legal tender. Several other pre-decimal coins remained in circulation beyond 1971 (see below) however they are all now withdrawn following changes to

4988-487: The old coins. The 5p and 10p coins were introduced in April 1968 and were the same size, composition and value as the shilling and two shilling coins in circulation with them. In October 1969, the 50p coin was introduced, with the 10s. note withdrawn on 20 November 1970. This reduced the number of new coins required to be introduced on Decimal Day, meaning that the British public would already be familiar with three of

5074-422: The oldest were dated 1947, as older coins contained silver, meaning the value of their metal was worth more than their nominal value. The coins were withdrawn when smaller 5p and 10p coins were introduced in 1990 and 1992 respectively. The demonetisation of the larger-size 50p in 1998 means that there are now no sterling coins in everyday circulation dated earlier than 1971. The face value of Maundy money coins

5160-400: The only circulating coins on Decimal Day that are still valid. In 1982, the word "new" in "new penny" or "new pence" was removed from the inscriptions on coins, and was replaced by the number of pence in the denomination (for example, "ten pence" or "fifty pence"). This coincided with the introduction of a new 20p coin , which from the outset bore simply the legend "twenty pence". A £1 coin

5246-681: The phrase "How much is that in old money?", or even "How much is that in real money?" became associated with those who struggled with the change, before in the following decades coming to refer to conversions between metric and imperial weights and measures. In shops from Decimal Day onwards, new stock would be universally priced in 'new money', though in smaller shops such as newsagents, it was still possible to find stock priced in £sd for several years after 1971; however, remaining stock priced in £sd would still be charged in its equivalent in decimal currency. Around Decimal Day, "Decimal Adders" and other converters were available to help people convert between

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5332-540: The preceding two years helped, as well as the trick of getting a rough conversion of new pence into old shillings and pence by simply doubling the number of new pence and placing a solidus , or slash, between the digits: 17p multiplied by 2 = 34, – approximately equal to 3/4 ("three and four", or three shillings and four pence), with a similar process for the reverse conversion. The willingness of Britain's younger population to embrace decimalisation also helped, with elderly people having greater difficulty in adapting;

5418-767: The publicity campaigns organised by the British government, Decimal Day itself went smoothly. Some criticism – such as the fact that the new halfpenny coin was relatively small, and that some traders had taken advantage of the transition to raise their prices – were levelled, despite the fact that in the latter case, overall price adjustments slightly favoured the consumer. Some used new pennies as sixpences in vending machines. After 15 February, shops continued to accept payment in old coins but always issued change in new coins. The old coins were then returned to banks, and so most of them were quickly taken out of circulation. The new halfpenny , penny , and twopence coins were introduced on 15 February 1971. Within two weeks of Decimal Day,

5504-456: The reign of King George VI , circulation silver threepences were produced only in 1937–45 (and almost all the 1945 examples were subsequently melted down). The obverse shows a left-facing effigy of the king with the inscription GEORGIVS VI D G BR OMN REX , while the reverse has an elegant design of a shield of St George lying on a Tudor rose, dividing the date, with the inscription FID DEF IND IMP THREE PENCE . The nickel-brass threepence took over

5590-554: The reign of Queen Anne (1702–1714), the same basic design was used, with threepences produced in 1703–10 and 1713. The obverse shows a left-facing bust of the Queen, with the inscription ANNA DEI GRATIA while the reverse shows the crowned "3" and MAG BR FR ET HIB REG date (1703–05, 1707), MAG BR FRA ET HIB REG (1706), or MAG BRI FR ET HIB REG (1708–13). The design continued in the reign of King George I , when threepences were produced in 1717, 1721, 1723, and 1727. The obverse shows

5676-550: The reverse showing the royal arms on a large oval shield with plumes above the shield, and the legend CHRISTO AUSPICE REGNO  – I reign under the auspices of Christ . Plumes were the identifying symbol of the Aberystwyth mint, but the Bristol and Oxford mints often used dies from the Aberystwyth mint so plumes often appear on their output too. Milled coins were produced at the York mint between 1638 and 1649, which look similar to

5762-533: The reverse shows the new-style crowned "3" and date, all within a wreath. During the reign of Queen Victoria , threepences were produced both for Maundy use and for normal circulation in all years between 1838 and 1901 except 1847, 1848, and 1852 (perhaps because of the proposal for a decimal currency at the time (see florin ); the 3d at 1 ⁄ 80 pound would not have fitted within a decimal system). Currency silver threepences from 1838 to 1926 were of identical design and cannot usually be distinguished except in

5848-454: The silver sixpence ), which previously designated amounts of money, were no longer used. However, some slang terms , such as "quid" and "bob", previously used for pounds and shillings respectively, survived from predecimal times. Amounts denominated in guineas (21s or £1.05) were reserved still for specialist transactions, and continued to be used in the sale of horses and at some auctions, amongst others. The public information campaign over

5934-428: The six new coins. Small booklets were made available, containing some or all of the new denominations. The old halfpenny was withdrawn from circulation on 31 July 1969, and the half-crown (2s. 6d.) followed on 31 December to ease the transition. The farthing , last minted in 1956, had already ceased to be legal tender in 1961. A substantial publicity campaign took place in the weeks before Decimal Day, including

6020-506: The standards and specifications of circulating coinage. The sixpence (6d), worth exactly ⁠2 + 1 / 2 ⁠ p, was withdrawn in June 1980. This enabled the withdrawal of the decimal half-penny coin in 1984. Shillings and florins, together with their same sized 5p and 10p coin equivalents, coexisted in circulation as valid currency until the early 1990s. In theory, this would have included coins dating back to 1816, but in practice,

6106-400: The start of the reign of King George IV (1820–30) the coin was being struck primarily as a Maundy coin, although some coins were produced for use in the colonies. See Maundy money for full details of these issues. Threepences were struck in all years from 1822 to 1830, though the king's head is smaller on the 1822 issue, apparently because the correct punch broke and the one from the twopence

6192-560: The suggestion of Joseph Hume (1777-1855). Popularly known as the 'joey', named after Hume's christian name, it was introduced to ease transactions on the London buses, the fare being four pence or one groat. As the last groats were struck in 1888 the nickname passed to the silver threepences struck after that date until 1941 (the last year of production for British use). The silver threepence continued to be struck for three further years from 1942 to 1944 inclusive although for colonial use only as

6278-426: The threepence denomination. As with all British silver coins, the silver content was reduced from sterling (0.925) silver to 50% silver, 40% copper, 10% nickel in 1920, 50% silver, 50% copper in 1922, and 50% silver, 40% copper, 5% nickel, 5% zinc in 1927, while the design of the reverse of the circulating threepence (but not the maundy threepence) was completely changed in 1927 to three oak sprigs with three acorns and

6364-491: The various regions of the United Kingdom. The coin was often referred to in conversation as a / ˈ θ r ʊ p n i / THRUUP -nee , / ˈ θ r ɛ p n i / THREP -nee or / ˈ θ r ʌ p n i / THRUP -nee bit. Before Decimal Day in 1971, sterling used the Carolingian monetary system , under which the largest unit was a pound divided into 20 shillings, each of 12 pence . The threepence coin

6450-421: The word “new”, but in due course this was dropped. Each new penny was worth 2.4 old pence ("d."). A coin of half a new penny, a halfpenny , was introduced to maintain the approximate granularity of the old penny, but was dropped in 1984 as inflation reduced its value. An old value of 7 pounds, 10 shillings, and sixpence, abbreviated £7-10-6 or £7:10s:6d. became £7.52 ⁠ 1 / 2 ⁠ p . Amounts with

6536-482: Was consequently decided to introduce a more substantial threepenny coin which would have a more convenient weight/value ratio than the silver coinage. The silver threepence continued to be minted, as there may have been some uncertainty about how well the new coin would be accepted. The reign of Edward VIII saw the planned introduction of a new, larger, nickel-brass (79% copper, 20% zinc, 1% nickel) twelve-sided threepence coin. This coin weighed 6.6 grams (0.23 oz) and

6622-503: Was introduced in 1983, and a £2 coin in 1998. When the old £sd system (consisting of pounds, shillings, and pence) was in operation, the United Kingdom and Ireland operated within the sterling area , effectively a single monetary area. The Irish pound was created as a separate currency in 1927 with distinct coins and notes, but the terms of the Currency Act 1927 obliged the Irish currency commissioners to redeem Irish pounds on

6708-568: Was issued. In a preliminary report issued in 1857 by the Royal Commission on Decimal Coinage, the benefits and drawbacks of decimalisation were considered, but the report failed to draw any conclusions on the adoption of a change in currency. A final report in 1859 from the two remaining commissioners, Lord Overstone and Governor of the Bank of England John Hubbard , came out against the idea, claiming that it had "few merits". In 1862,

6794-414: Was known for many years as the "threepenny bit building" for its resemblance to a stack of threepenny coins. After the coins were phased out (beginning in 1970) the building eventually gained a new nickname, the " 50p building". The silver threepenny bit became known as a 'joey'. However, the original 'joey' was the groat (or fourpence).The groat was re-introduced in 1836 during the reign of William IV at

6880-547: Was maintained, increasing all their face values by a factor of 2.4, as the coins continued to be legal tender as new pence. The numismatic value of each coin, though, greatly exceeds face value. Commemorative 'decimal' Crowns dated 1972, 1977, 1980 and 1981 remain legal tender (with a face value of 25p) as do the £5 coins issued from 1990 onwards. The decimal halfpenny ( ⁠ 1 / 2 ⁠ p), which had been introduced in 1971, remained in circulation until 1984, when its value had been greatly reduced by inflation. It

6966-534: Was named as the Chairman of the Decimal Currency Board. Consideration was given to introducing a new major unit of currency worth ten shillings in the old currency. Suggested names included the new pound , the royal and the noble . It would have resulted in the "decimal penny" being worth only slightly more than the old penny, an approach adopted in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand in

7052-497: Was not struck, save for collectors' sets, following 1983, with those dated 1984 struck only as proofs, or in uncirculated mint sets. The decimal halfpenny was demonetised on 31 December 1984. The 50p piece was reduced in size in 1997, following the reduction in size of the 5p in 1990 and the 10p in 1992 (the large versions of all the three have been demonetised). The 1p and 2p underwent a compositional change from bronze to plated steel in 1992. However, both coins remain valid back to 1971,

7138-483: Was produced in all years from 1953 to 1967, and in 1970 (in proof sets only). Following decimalisation, the brass threepence ceased to be legal tender after 31 August 1971. A three pence coin was also used in the pre- decimalisation currencies of Commonwealth of Nations countries such as Fiji , Australia , and New Zealand . It was called a tickey in South Africa and Southern Rhodesia . No. 1 Croydon

7224-403: Was struck only between 1887 and 1890. Though little further progress was made, The Decimal Association, founded in 1841 to promote decimalisation and metrication , saw interest in both causes boosted by a growing national realisation of the importance of ease in international trade, following the 1851 Great Exhibition ; it was as a result of the growing interest in decimalisation that the florin

7310-446: Was used instead. The obverse inscription reads GEORGIUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D , while the reverse shows a new-style crowned "3" and date, all within a wreath. In King William IV 's reign (1830–37), maundy coins were produced in 1831–37, and identical circulation coins were produced for the colonies, identifiable only through not having a prooflike surface. The obverse inscription reads GULIELMUS IIII D G BRITANNIAR REX F D , while

7396-426: Was withdrawn in 1971 due to decimalisation and replaced by the decimal new penny , with 2.4 d being worth 1p. The three pence coin – expressed in writing as "3d" – first appeared in England during the fine silver coinage of King Edward VI (1547–53), when it formed part of a set of new denominations. Although it was an easy denomination to work with in the context of the old sterling coinage system, being

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