I am creating a series of Type sets of Australian coin in this Sub topic.
Hopefully this can be used by members wanting to know more about the Australian coinage.
Australian coinage is basically divided into two era - Pre Decimal from 1910 to 1964 and the Decimal coinage from 1966 to present day.
This first topic deals with the Florins
1910 Edward VII is a one year type but I can't locate the one I have at the moment - I will add the images in here when I find that folder
I friend of mine has kindly provided some images of one of the finest known examples of the 1910 - many thanks to Peter A
Obv - Edward VII

Reverse

George V appeared on the Obverse of the Australian florin from 1911 to 1936 with the same effigy used in all years except for the 1934/35 melbourne centenary commemorative
The coin depicted is a 1918 Melbourne Florin

The 1934/35 Melbourne centenary featured a different Obverse designed by Percy Metcalfe and which also appeared on the first NZ coinage and some Fiji coins in the 30's

Obverse


Reverse

With the accession of George VI in 1936 following the abdication of his brother Edward the VIII a new Obverse and Reverse combination was introduced which continued until 1949 when India declared Independence and IND:IMP was removed

Obverse


Reverse - has a different Coat of Arms to the coins of 1910 to 1936

2nd Obv of George VI - 1952 Coin as example

Obverse - note IND:IMP no longer in the Obv legend


Reverse

Queen Elizabeth II (Libby) , florins struck for 1953 and 54 did not have Defender of the Faith on the Obv legend
1953 Florin as example

Obverse - note D:F not in the Obv legend


Reverse - used the same Coat of Arms as for George VI florins

Due to the public outcry, the Defender of the Faith representation was added to the OBV legend in a shortened form - because the length of the name ELIZABETH compared to GEORGIUS VI

Obverse - note F:D in the Obv legend


Reverse - used the same Coat of Arms as for George VI florins

There have been several commemmoratives - 1951 was the 50th Anniversary of Federation in Australia

Obverse - note FIDEI:DEF in the Obv legend for defender of the Faith


Reverse - Commemorative with the Symbols of Parliament and Crown - the Sword and the Mace I think it is

There have been several commemmoratives - 1954 was the first Vist to Australia by Liz as monarch

Obverse - note missing FIDEI:DEF in the Obv legend for defender of the Faith



Reverse - Commemorative with the Symbolic Kangaroo and Lion (Australia and Britain)

1927 Canberra - Opening of parliament house

1927 complete with die cracks


Reverse - Depiction of the new parliament house

Wow! Thanks for sharing, really like the centenary commemorative, but they are all lovely. I love coins from Oz, they just have so many blasted mints etc that you always have a challenge. It is a gold mine for collecting as many of the coins are comparably scarce because whilst Oz is a large country, it is not very populous. But let us not let this secret out before I have acquired a few more treasures from Oz, okay

There are not that many Mints really unless you include coins minted overseas - London, Birmingham, Calcutta, Bombay, Denver, San Francisco (not Sacramento as I originally said, its late at night here in Australia).

In Australia the only active Mint for circulating coinage is Canberra with Perth producing NCLT coins and Gold.

Sydney Mint shut in 1926 from memory, Melbourne in 1968 and Perth stopped producing decimal coins in the early 70's.

Perth only produced silver coins in one year - the 1946 shilling - 1946S.

Adelaide produced Gold coins in 1852.

Great information. These are beautiful coins. Do they follow the other British coins as far as silver content? I especially like the 1927 and 1951.

The florins from 1910 to 1945 were 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper

then in 1946 they changed to 50% silver, 40% copper, 5% Zinc and 5% Nickel and continued through to 1963

I believe 3D, 6D and shillings were the same.

Not really sure what the English did - I thought they lowered the silver content back in the 20's

I have 600+ pennies from Oz, dated from 1912-1964 and they come in all kinds of privy marks, mintmarks etc. BTW the USA mint was San Francisco, I have some S mint tanners and nibbers me thinks.

Yes you are correct - San Francisco it was , not Sacramento
Here is the florin from 1944 produced at San Francisco with one from Melbourne to compare
1944S Reverse


1944M Reverse

I still marvel that it was cost effective to have the coins minted in the USA, Bombay, Calcutta etc. instead of just upping the production in the domestic mints. Sometime I want to go through my pennies and get them all sorted out by their respective dates, mints etc. The only one I have set aside in it's own little nest is the 1933 overdate.

It would be kind of cool to gather all the US minted coinage from WWII with domestic coins in a collection as a theme.

The main reason Australia and england reduced the silver content in the coinage was to repay the War debt to America - between 48 and 53 Australia sent 200 tons of silver to America from smelted down coinage. The bulk of which was pre 1946 silver coins which accounts for the scarcity and high price of silver pre decimal coins particularly George the V florins from 1911 to 1916.
Traditionally the 1932 Florin and the 1910 florin in high grade are the key dates but the 1914,15 and 16 command steep prices for EF and above.

The 1939 is the key George VI and the 1953 and 1956 are the Elizabeth II key dates.

When I saw that coin, I thought the kangaroo torso was coming out of the lions neck. I was like "Thats one BITCHING! coin! "
Now...I'm just
And now I'm for my bitchin' coin

lol

i like coins with lions on em ahh hmm its hard 2 know which coins have lions on em cause there is no list x(