Royal Mint offers £1m of free ‘thruppences’ to lure a new generation of coin collectors
THE Royal Mint is giving away £1million worth of historic silver “thruppences” as it battles to stop coin collecting dying out in the digital age.
The threepence piece is one of Britain’s longest-serving coins and has been in circulation for nearly half a millennium, after it was introduced during the reign of Edward VI in 1551.
Now the Royal Mint plans to hand out 120,000 original George V threepences – dating back to 1911 – for free.
Coin collectors can usually buy the coin from about £8.50, meaning that the giveaway will be worth more than £1million in total.
Sir Tony Robinson, the Blackadder star and history broadcaster, has been brought in as the face of the campaign to get younger generations interested in coin collecting. He said: “It can seem like older and younger generations have nothing in common but it’s so important for families to find a hobby together that can create quality time.”
He added: “There’s something beautiful about having a tangible item that connects us, especially in an age where we spend most of our time online. “I love the thought that owning an original George V silver threepence might inspire people, of all ages, to start a coin collection or dig deeper into Britain’s rich history.” The Royal Mint said that the coin has been part of British life throughout the Tudor, Elizabethan and Victorian eras.
Daniel Penney, managing director for the London Mint Office, said: “It has connected people from all walks of life for nearly 500 years and it’s a wonderful symbol to connect current family generations together now. Technology plays such a big role in our lives today that it’s easy to lose that physical connection with each other, so we hope the George V silver threepence might inspire families to spend time together by starting their own coin collections, holding history in their hands.”
To get a free George V silver threepence coin, paying £2.50 postage, visit londonmintoffice.org/silvercoin, or call on 0330 124 1001