England: 3 PENCE Maundy 1823 George IIII, KM#685.2, NGC#2859847-010, AU Details

Description

England: 3 PENCE 1823 George IIII, SILVER
KM#685.2
Maundy issues
Only 2640 minted!
KM#685.2, Sp#3819 (1823) Large laureate head
Obverse
Laureate bust of King George IV left, legend around. Note: varieties exist
Lettering: GEORGIUS IIII D.G. BRITANNIAR. REX F.D.
Translation: George the Fourth by the Grace of God King of Britain Defender of the Faith
Engraver: Benedetto Pistrucci
Reverse
Crowned denomination dividing date within oak wreath.
Lettering: 1823
Engraver: Jean Baptiste Merlen
Three pence 1823 (Maundy)
The Maundy three pence (or three pence) coin is the second highest denomination of Maundy money - coins specially minted in varying (but always small) mintage for ceremonial purposes and not intended as circulating currency. They are usually handed by the British monarch in person to selected deserving individuals once every year. They are issued in "proof like" condition and usually remain in it, especially the more recent ones. Each recipient receives two purses: a red one with ordinary coins, and a white purse containing a particular amount (which varies every year) made up of one, two, three and four pence Maundy coins. Since the amounts are not always divisible by ten, the number (and mintage) of the respective denominations differ; in other words, they cannot always all be cleanly combined into a number of full sets. Note also that the coins are initially in purses; the sets that appear on the market are made from these later, and are not issued as sets by the Royal Mint.
The Royal Maundy is an ancient ceremony which has its origin in the commandment Christ gave after washing the feet of his disciples on the day before Good Friday. The commandment (also known as a "mandatum" from which the word Maundy is derived) "that ye love one another" (John XIII 34) is still recalled regularly by Christian churches throughout the world. The ceremony of washing the feet of the poor which was accompanied by gifts of food and clothing can be traced back to the fourth century.
Maundy money has remained in much the same form since 1670, and the coins used for the Maundy ceremony have traditionally been struck in sterling silver, save for the brief interruptions of King Henry VIII’s debasement of the coinage and the general change to 50% silver coins in 1920. The sterling silver standard (92.5%) was resumed following the Coinage Act of 1946. The current reverse was designed by Jean Baptiste Merlen in 1822 and has been issued every year since then with only minor modifications.