A coin from the First World War which has survived reasonably well.
Great album filler or for the starting collector.
Lower mintages due to the scarcity of metal in World War I meant a lot fewer of these were struck in 1916.
1917 saw a return to more normal levels but this is still a great collectible.
Design
1911-1936 All three pence coins in this period were as follows.
Diameter 16 mm
Weight 1.41 grams
Edge – Plain
Composition:92.5 silver, 7,5% copper
Obverse:Has a portrait of King George V by Sir E.B. Mackennel
Reverse:From 1910 to 1936 the Australian coat of arms.by W.H.J. Blakemore was on the reverse. From 1938 to 1964 a sheaf of wheat by George Kruger Gray
History
George Kruger Gray (December 25, 1880 – May 2, 1943) was an English artist, best remembered for his designs of coinage and stained glass windows.
The Australian Threepence was a small silver coin used in the Commonwealth of Australia prior to decimalisation. It was minted from 1910 until 1964, excluding 1913, 1929 – 1933 inclusive, 1937, 1945 and 1946. After decimalisation on 14 February 1966, the coin was equivalent to 2½¢, but was rapidly withdrawn from circulation.
During World War II, between 1942 – 1944, threepence production was supplemented by coinage produced by the United States Mint with coins produced at the San Francisco and Denver mints. Coins minted at the San Francisco mint 1942-1944 contain a small S on the reverse, while coins produced at the Denver mint 1942-1943 have a small D on the reverse.
There were in total 6 varites of Three Penny coins minted between 1911 and 1966 when decimalisation occured.
Mints: M – Melbourne  L – London  S – Sydney S – San Francisco  D – Denver
Mint Marks: M – Melbourne