The wheat stalks design continued into this type, however, after the independence of India in late 1947,
IND IMP
needed to be omitted from the
obverselegend
; this did not occur until 1949. The
obverse
still features an uncrowned bust of King George VI facing to the left, however, the
legend
changed to
GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX FIDEI DEF
. ('George VI, by the grace of god, Ruler and King of Britain, Defender of the Faith') and was used up until the end of George VI's reign in 1952.The series is relatively easy to complete, however, the 1949 and 1950 are quite underrated in
mint state
being very difficult to source above MS64. Type set collectors would best aim for 1951-PL which is almost always well struck up, although the surfaces tend to be quite scuffed; if a combination of good surfaces and strike is required, then the 1952 would be the best bet.All years were struck at the Melbourne mint, though in 1951 the London mint assisted in striking the threepence with its issue identifiable by the 'PL'
mintmark
split on either side of the base of the wheat stalks.