Penny (Australian)

The Australian Penny was a coin used in the Commonwealth of Australia prior to decimalization. The coin was first introduced in 1911 and stopped being minted in 1964. When decimalization happened on 14 February 1966, the coin value was equal to 0.8333¢.

Obverses

1911-1936 - George V by Sir E.B. Mackennal.
1937-1952 - George VI by Thomas H. Paget.
1953-1964 - Elizabeth II by Mrs Mary Gillick.

Reverses

1910-1936 - Value by W.H.J. Blakemore.
1937-1964 - Kangaroo by George Kruger Gray.

Numismatics

The 1930 penny is one of the rarest Australian coins, due to a very small number being minted [ [http://www.triton.vg/P30.html Numismatics: Australia: 1930 penny ] ] .It is highly sought after by coin collectors, and a 1930 penny in good condition can be worth AUD$20000 or more [ [http://www.australianstamp.com/Coin-web/aust/penny/1930penn.htm 1930 Penny ] ] . The 1930 penny is without doubt the one rare coin that most Australians know about - it started off as being the last coin to go into the Dansco press-in albums that were hugely popular in the mid 1960's - in fact they're so rare hardly anyone ended up with a complete penny set - and it now rates as an heirloom and an investment.

Unlike paper notes or even the larger silver coins, pennies could be accumulated fairly easily without placing too big a dent in the family budget. It wasn’t a trifling or incidental coin - back in the 1960’s a penny could actually buy something, and a collection of 95 coins represented a reasonable spending sacrifice. As they were used every day of the week, most people had the opportunity day to day to check their change and put the ones they didn’t have in their album [ [http://sterlingcurrency.com.au/research/1930-penny-australias-best-known-rare-coin 1930 Penny Article ] ] ..

References