Demonetised or not?

[BC Numismatics]

Bill,
  The last date for the British silver 3d. was 1944,but 2 examples dated 1945 have been reported.

As for their legal tender status,this was removed in 1971 upon decimalisation.

The only 3d. coins that are legal tender are the Maundy 3d. coins.

Aidan.

[UK Decimal +]

Aidan,

Can you prove that the silver 3d were demonetised, because it is frequently suggested that they weren't, being to the same quality as Maundy issues?   Also the groats (4d)?

That is why I worded it in the way that I did, to try to elicit further information on the subject.

Bill.

[BC Numismatics]

Bill,
  The silver 3d. was in .500 fine silver from 1920,but the Maundy 3d. was in .500 fine silver from 1920 to 1946,as from the 1947 issue they remain at their .925 fineness.

As for the last currency Groat,that was the 1888 Britannia one that was issued only in British Guiana.That is a pretty scarce & extremely underrated coin.It eluded me for years until one came my way,& I snapped it up.

Aidan.

[UK Decimal +]

I agree about the fineness of the silver, however the question remains and I'll ask it in full.

Were the (non-Maundy) silver 3d, 4d (groat), 4/- (double florin) and 5/- (crown) ever demonetised?

I think not, but am waiting to be proved wrong.

Bill.

[UK Decimal +]

Yes, and the title here does include the word 'Conspiracy'!

I hope that I haven't offended anyone by using bold text.  If I have, it was certainly not intended that way.   But I would like an answer to my question ... ... .

Bill.   (From the ancient Kingdom of Wessex).

[UK Decimal +]

The date 1860 comes from Coin Yearbook 2007 and is deliberately shown separately for each of the three denominations of coin so it certainly appears to be accurate.

I'm pretty certain that I've handled plenty of pre-1860 'coppers' which I think remained in circulation to the end (penny 31 Aug 1971, ha'penny 01 Aug 1969 and farthing 31 Dec 1960).

Bill.

[translateltd]

Pre-1860 copper farthings, halfpence and pence were demonetised on 31 December 1869, so if any were found in change a hundred years later, they weren't there legally and no-one would have been required to accept them :-)

[UK Decimal +]

Pre-1860 copper farthings, halfpence and pence were demonetised on 31 December 1869, so if any were found in change a hundred years later, they weren't there legally and no-one would have been required to accept them :-)

OK.   That's my memory playing tricks with me.   Thank you very much for that information.

Bill.

[translateltd]

OK.   That's my memory playing tricks with me.   Thank you very much for that information.

Bill.

I always thought I'd seen pre-1860 coppers in change in the 1960s too, but that may have been *my* memory playing tricks!  Either that or there really were some still floating about that people just didn't look too closely at. 

As for silver, which Aidan mentioned, my uncle found a Geo III 6d in his change (as 2½ new pence) sometime in the 1970s, so they did still crop up occasionally. 

[tonyclayton]

Bill,
  The last date for the British silver 3d. was 1944,but 2 examples dated 1945 have been reported.

As for their legal tender status,this was removed in 1971 upon decimalisation.

The only 3d. coins that are legal tender are the Maundy 3d. coins.

Aidan.

Not quite true.  All 3d coins of Maundy type, i.e. with the crowned 3, are valued at 3 new pence. In other words, 3d dated 1926 or earlier, back to 1816 or thereabouts.

[UK Decimal +]

Thank you Tony.   That is the sort of information that I'm expecting to hear.

I have seen somewhere (if it was a major source I think that I would remember where) that this also applies to the (admittedly very few) 4d Groats as they were struck in the same standard of silver as the Maundy money of the same years.

This same (lost) source then suggested that the same might apply to the 4/- Double Florin.

It is easy to think that the 4d and 4/- might have been overlooked at decimalisation as they had not been 'used' for many years.

But what of the 5/- Crown?   Nearly twenty million had been issued as recently as 1965 (Churchill) and surely hadn't been forgotten so soon.   But I can find no information on them being demonetised and the next such issue was the 25p Crown of 1972 (Silver Wedding) continuing spasmodically until 1981 (Royal Wedding).   I am suggesting that the 5/- Crown is still 'valid' back to 1818 at 25p.   Note that I do not use the dreaded words 'legal tender' anywhere here, because that might be a different question.

Regarding the 25p coins, did they bear a denomination?   1972 ?, 1977 no, 1980 ?, 1981 no.

Someone, anyone, please try to prove me wrong.   If you know of any information about their demonetisation, please tell me where to find it.

Bill. 

[tonyclayton]

As far as I am aware the 5 shilling crowns were never demonetised.  As you say, the 25p crowns all have no indication of value, whereas all the five pounds crowns do.
(I am not entering into a debate as to whether they should be called crowns or not!)

As to the double florin, I suspect this was still legal tender for 20p, and indeed my father-in-law accepted one when at 4/- when he was a bank cashier!  However, it is academic as IMHO no fool would try to spend one!!