Thrift

Among my collection of old coins is a 1937 threepence and until I researched this I hadn’t realised that this was one of the first minted. Before 1937 threepences were made of silver but they were considered to be rather small to be easily handled and could be bent easily so a new 12 sided coin made of a nickel brass alloy was made. The thrift plant was used on the reverse and was thought of as a pun on the need to be thrifty and careful with money.

The thrift plant (sea pink) is able to grow on the thinnest of soils on rocks and cliffs and flowers between April and July. I’ve seen thrift growing high up on Scottish mountains but it is generally found on the coast. Here I have placed the coin (see large) among some thrift.

The thrift threepence was made between 1937 and 1952 although silver threepences were also made. A threepence coin is equivalent to a little more than the present 1 pence but allowing for inflation is probably about 75p now.