There was a coin show in our home town of Adelaide recently and we were lucky enough to find two old friends while we were there. By friends we mean coins of course. The first was a slightly crusty dark toned 1928 shilling. It’s slightly upset and there’s a tell-tale spur sticking out of the back of one of the emu’s legs. You can see an image of the coin below. It’s a contemporary counterfeit made from good silver, probably minted in China (in the city of Swatow) and they were first discovered in Sydney in the early 1930’s. You can read the full story of these interesting 1928 forgeries here.
Australia 1928 Counterfeit Shilling
The second friend we found at the coin show was an innocuous 1943M threepence in a decent Almost-Uncirculated grade, good lustre and a slightly odd looking obverse.
Double Die Obverse 1943M Threepence
Look at the legends of the coin, there’s clear doubling all the way around the coin. And it’s not a bit of insignificant machine doubling but rather much more prominent and interesting hub doubling. The double die obverse 1943M threepence is a recently discovered pre-decimal variety we wrote about in the Australasian Coin and Banknote Magazine last year. You can read the full article here.
There you have it, two old friends found. It’s always fun to look out for varieties when you get the chance to attend a coin show or visit a coin dealer’s shop. They might not be particularly valuable but that thrill you’ll get when you find one more than makes up for it!
