Pattern - 3 Pence - Edward VIII (Reverse Trial)

The 1937 Australian threepence pattern was commissioned following the death of King George V, as the Royal Mint prepared for the coinage of the new monarch, Edward VIII. This specific reverse trial was produced as a design test for the Australian threepence series. Because the King’s abdication occurred before these designs were fully realized for mass circulation, the coins never entered official production, leaving these trial strikes as rare remnants of a transition that never came to fruition.

The design of the Australian threepence at this time was overseen by the Royal Mint in London, with the artistic direction reflecting the standard heraldic traditions expected of colonial currency. The reverse typically featured the iconic wheat stalk design, a motif emblematic of Australia’s agricultural identity. These patterns are highly valued by numismatists not only for their inherent scarcity but for their role in documenting the rapid shift in British Commonwealth coinage resulting from the 1936 abdication crisis.