? The 1909 Florin was produced with the intention for it to be issued as a regular Australian circulating coin. Only one uniface trial was produced and is currently held by the Royal Mint in London. The reverse of this piece features a map of Australia with some major rivers marked and the inscription 'AUSTRALIA' centred on the design. The legend states 'ONE FLORIN - TWO SHILLINGS.' The obverse of the uniface trial is obviously blank however it was planned that ...
? The 1887 half sovereigns come in a number of varieties distinguishable by the place of manufacture which can be Sydney, Melbourne or London and by the positioning of the obverse designer's initials, JEB. The mint can be determined by a mintmark , or absence of underneath the shield on the reverse. An S indicates this issue, the Sydney mint, an M indicates Melbourne while the London mint issues do not display a mintmark. S mintmark for Sydney ...
? While probably the most common date in the series in lower grades, the case is perhaps very different in mint state. With the highest mintage in the series, there is no doubt that sorting through a sack of circulated shillings will yield numerous examples of this date but the case in mint state is often very different. The reason being is that mint state quantities are generally defined by the notable hoards that turn up. For example, the Vienna hoard brought about many 1944 San Francisco ...
? The 1930 penny is the most famous Australian coin and one of the world's most valuable circulating copper coins. Its fame originates from the 1940s and 1950s where its rarity was first revealed to the general public, thus creating a surge in interest. Consequently, the average 1930 penny only circulated for 15-20 years leaving the average grade at around the Fine to VF level, slightly higher than pennies from surrounding years. This interest has lasted giving the 1930 penny the title of Australia's ...
? The Royal Visit Florin was struck in 1954 to commemorate the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to Australia in February 1954, the first time a British monarch had visited the country. The reverse features a lion representing Great Britain and a Kangaroo representing Australia with the legend 'AUSTRALIA FLORIN' and the date 1954. The obverse features the Mary Gillick effigy of Elizabeth II. Both the obverse and reverse design attracted much attention. The obverse legend features ...