Description
British Empire, Australia, King George V (1910-1936 AD), Æ One Penny (9.35g, 31mm), 1930, ‘Indian’ die, Royal mint Melbourne branch. Obverse: Crowned bust of King George V facing to the left, wearing coronation robes, engraver’s initials “BM” (Edgar Bertram MacKennal) in relief on truncation, legend surrounds, “GEORGIVS V D.G. BRITT: OMN: REX F.D. IND: IMP:”. Reverse: Denomination “ONE PENNY” central between scrolls above and below, inner rope and bead border and outer legend surrounds, “COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA 1930”. KM-23. Estimated mintage of approx. 1500.
A numismatic rarity that requires neither introduction nor detailing of its reverence within the Australian pre-decimal coinage series, the 1930 Penny, struck during the Great Depression, is certainly one of the most famous bronze coins of the 20th century. First sold through private treaty from the inventory of the late Mr Frank Taylor in the 1980s, the offered piece was certified by the Royal Australian mint as genuine, with the original letter included. Despite a few typical contact marks on the reverse, evidence of light circulation, the remaining detail is bold and the piece is overall quite charming – it exhibits unilateral dark toning to the reverse and a chocolate brown obverse, a result of being stored in a Dansco push-in album for many years. Full six pearls and near complete centre diamond remains, details near Very Fine, reverse Very Fine, and very rare, certainly one of the finer examples available to commerce.