On this page, we will tell you all about the Irish 3 Pence coin minted between the years 1942-1968.

If this is not what you are looking for, you may be interested in the Irish Free State 3 Pence Coin 1928-1935.

A little background about the Irish 3 Pence Coin, The Irish 3 Pence coin was part of the Pre Decimal 1939-1969 coin series of Ireland. Designed by Percy Metcalfe. Produced between the years 1942-1968 at the Royal Mint, Tower Hill Site, London mint. In total 40,960,000 of these coins were minted.

Coin collecting can be full of unusual terms and phrases. If you are unsure what any of the terms on this page mean, check out our 180 Best Coin Collecting Terms Explained post. There we explain every term in an easy to understand way.

Identifying Features

Denomination: 3 Pence
KM Code: KM# 12a
Coin Series: Pre Decimal 1939-1969
Years Produced: 1942 – 1968
Known Mintage: 40,960,000
Distribution: Standard Circulation
Mint: Royal Mint Tower Hill

Design Features

The design of the Irish penny coin featured a hare. This was chosen given the large importance animals had on farming and rural life in Ireland at the time, the hare would have been commonly hunted during this time period.

This design was adapted from the original designs by Publio Morbiducci which were chosen for the coinage of the Irish free state in 1927. Many of the designs used in this coin series were reused in the Irish Decimal Coin series, however, the design on the 3 Pence was not used again.

Themes: Animals (Fauna), Musical Instruments, Rabbits
Obverse Description: Irish harp
Reverse Description: Hare

Mechanical Features

The Mechanical features of a coin are things like the size, weight, thickness and diameter for example. Looking at the mechanical features of a coin is the easiest way to tell if a coin is real or fake.

Quite often a fake will not match the mechanical features of the original coin when faked. Checking these features should be the first thing you do if you have your suspicions about a coin. Coins are produced very precisely to match the predetermined mechanical features.

Weight: 3.2400g
Diameter: 18mm
Thickness: 1.81 mm
Rim: Raised. Gladiform. Both sides
Shape: Circular
Edge: Plain

3 Pence Coin Values

Below the Irish 3 Pence coin values are shown on a grading scale, the higher on the scale the better condition the coin is in which makes it more valuable.

Check out our Awesome Guide to Coin Grading In 3 Simple Steps article to learn more about coin grading. If you really want to understand how to accurately value your coins to ensure you are getting the price when selling or buying coins it can really help. Let us know if we missed anything and we will update the article.