The switch to copper-nickel in 1947 was a direct consequence of postwar silver shortages and Britain's broader effort to conserve metal reserves following the economic strain of the Second World War. New Zealand, still minting through the Royal Mint in London, made the compositional change in lockstep with other Commonwealth territories that year. The 1947 issue is the first year of KM#7a, replacing the .500 fine silver threepences that had circulated since 1933.
The switch to copper-nickel in 1947 was a direct consequence of postwar silver shortages and Britain's broader effort to conserve metal reserves following the economic strain of the Second World War. New Zealand, still minting through the Royal Mint in London, made the compositional change in lockstep with other Commonwealth territories that year. The 1947 issue is the first year of KM#7a, replacing the .500 fine silver threepences that had circulated since 1933.