The Australian Coin Collecting Blog

Overdates

Posted on January 16, 2010 by kdh

1933/2 Overdate Penny

A particular type of coin variety is the overdate. Put simply an overdate is a coin struck from a die that has a trace remnant of a previous years numeral in the date. Among Australian copper and silver Commonwealth coinage there are 4 known overdate issues, the 1922/1 3d, the 1925/3 1s, the 1933/2 1d, and the 1934/3 3d.

(193)3/2 Overdate Detail

The image above shows the 1933/2 overdate penny with the last 3 of the date expanded. You can see clear traces of the underlying 2 extending from the end of the top loop of the 3 and from the front and back of the top loop of the three, There are a number of overdate issues available among the gold Commonwealth issues of the 19th century. As far as I understand there are 3 different ways that an overdate working die can be produced:

A master die or punch is re-worked to show the new date and traces of the old date remain when working punches are produced from the masters.
A working punch is reworked to show the new date and traces of the old date remain when working dies are produced from the working punches.
An existing working die is re-engraved, re-punched, or hand stamped to show the new date and traces of the old date remain when coins are minted from the die.

Looking at the Commonwealth overdate issues and their relative mintages it isn’t hard to postulate how each issue was produced. The 1922/1 3d is an extremely low mintage coin, less than 1500 issued so may be the product of just one re-worked production die. The 1933/2 penny and the 1934/3 threepence comprise just a fraction of the total mintages for the year but enough to suggest that one or more overdate working dies were produced and used to make coins during those years. Jon Saxton at Triton Coins suggests that the 1933/32 penny working dies were formed by hobbing existing 1932 penny working dies with a 1933 penny punch. He goes onto suggest that a similar process may be responsible for the entire 1925/3 shilling production. Jon also has an excellent description of how the 1922/1 over date threepence die may have been produced which you can read here.

Australian 1925/3 Overdate Shiling

Above you can see a 1925/3 overdate shilling. The overdate on these can be a little difficult to spot but if you look closely at the expanded 5 of the date you can see the end of the top loop of the 3 protruding from the top left of the 5.

Posted in Collecting Coins

Error Coins on Display at The Royal Australian Mint

Posted on January 13, 2010 by msn

The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra displays a wide range of coins in their museum on the first floor of the newly refurbished building. Amongst the coins on display is a variety of error coins or mistakes that have happened to coins during production. We’re lucky to have some of these coins on display because it’s quite rare that coins of this nature would pass by the strict quality control to exit the mint and enter circulation. From time to time the Mint change the display so if you visit the Mint today there may be new and more exciting items on display.

The 20 cent proof shown below has been struck on a bolt! I don’t think we need to explain further but this isn’t how a coin should look!

Australian 20 cent Struck on a Bolt

The Australian commemorative dollar shown below is termed a “die cap”. It failed to be released from the press, adhering to the upper hammer die. It was this “capped” coin that struck the subsequent coins. The blanks fed through while the cap was in place struck on this die cap and would exit the press as brockage errors showing the mirror image of the design on the reverse. The more brockage errors the die cap strikes the higher and deeper the cap becomes before breaking from the hammer die.

2009 Citizenship Die Cap $1

We’ve spoken before about double struck coins and this example is a beautifully toned magnificent example of a double struck 10c. A struck coin failed to eject from the press completely and was struck for a second time. This produced an elongated planchet with half of the coin design depicted twice.

Double Struck 10 Cent

For an update and more errors, have a look at part 2 of this article.

Posted in Coin News, Error Coins

Counterfeit Australian $2 Coins

Posted on December 13, 2009 by msn

Australia 2005 Genuine $2

Australia 2003 Counterfeit $2

These counterfeit two dollar coins surfaced in change a few years ago now, around mid 2005. Certainly a good dodgy coin which on passing the everyday Joe wouldn’t look twice at. But those in the know can pick them a mile away, they are so obviously unauthorised counterfeit copies that it’s laughable.

The most notable points are the crudeness of the designs. Her majesties hair and the Aboriginals beard just curl and brush the wrong way. The counterfeit versions have a weak strike, are missing important details altogether and just look plain wrong. On the obverse of the counterfeit coin notice the legends are slightly misaligned. The “EL” of Elizabeth extends too far down HM’s neck. The coins themselves sound and feel different to genuine coins and are underweight.

It seems interesting that if anyone were going to make worthless copies of currency and pass it off an genuine then surely they would choose to do so with something larger, say, 50 or 100 dollar notes. If they chose to crudely copy our two dollar coin then for sure there will be many of them circulating unknowingly throughout the country to make it worthwhile for the offender.

If you find yourself picking out one of these illegal copies then it’s best to hand it in to the authorities. It is illegal to pass these along, use them to purchase or trade them as currency.

Posted in Coin News, Collecting Coins

Proclamation Coin – Netherlands Gold Ducat

Posted on December 7, 2009 by kdh

Netherlands Utrecht 1649 Ducat

In my previous entry about Australian proclamation coins I mentioned the Gold Ducat of the Netherlands which was valued at 9 shillings and sixpence in the proclamation. A small 21.8mm coin minted from about 3.49g of 0.986 fine gold you can see an example of the 1649 proclamation ducat above. Ducats were an international trade coin of Europe that were first minted in Venice in the 13th century and first minted by the Dutch in 1589. Several European countries still mint ducats of the same size and gold content as have been minted for 500 years or more. The Dutch ducat is likely to have been named specifically by Governor King in the Proclamation of 1800 because of the proximity of the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) and the Dutch influence over the areas controlled by the British East India Company (such as in India and Ceylon). Because of these factors the Dutch ducat was likely to have been seen in some numbers in the new Colony of New South Wales.

The obverse depicts a knight facing right holding a bundle of arrows that symbolise the provinces of the Netherlands. The legend shows the mint (in the example above Holland), the year of issue, and the Latin motto CONCORDIA.RES PAR.CRES.HOL. This translates to “Through concord little things grow – Holland”.

The reverse of the Proclamation Netherlands ducat depicts a Latin motto within a border. The Latin reads MO.ORD PROVIN FOEDER BELG.AD LEG.IMP. This translates to “Money of the Provinces of the Belgian Federation according to the law of the Empire”.

The Netherlands gold ducat can be a harder coin to add to your proclamation coin collection. In mint state they can cost upwards of $1,000 even for common dated coins. Also, because they were a true trade coin they are often found well worn or bent showing the hard life they had to lead. All that being said, they are not particularly scarce and honest mid grade examples (VF or EF) are quite affordable and obtainable. When looking for a Proclamation Ducat look for a coin with good original lustre and a straight flan.

Netherlands Holland 1737 Ducat

Posted in Australian Proclamation Coins

Coin Errors and Misstrikes

Posted on November 1, 2009 by kdh

A master list of articles we’ve written about error coins, misstrikes, wrongly minted coins and coin press mishaps. Research your own dodgy looking coin and learn if it’s really a genuine coin error or PMD -damage after the coin was minted. Coin errors can be worth tens times their face value or even ten thousand times their face value -if they are real and in good condition. Take a look at our list of coin errors. Happy error collecting!

Brockages
Brockages
Brockages of Australian Coins
Brockage Contained in an Indent
Die Cap Coin Errors
Double Struck Partial Brockage Indent 1981 20c error
Partial Reverse Brockage Obverse Indent 1946 Florin error
Indent Error with Partial Brockage 1975 50c
Bottle Top Die Cap 5 Cent Error

Clipped Coin Errors
How to Determine a Genuine Clipped Coin Error Is Your Coin a Real Error or Just PMD?
Clipped Planchet Error Coin – The Straight Clip
Curved Clipped Planchet Error Coins
Double Straight Clipped Planchet Coin Error Part 2
Double Straight Clipped Planchet Coin Error
Double Curved Clipped Planchet Coin Error
Elliptical Planchet Error Coin
Outward Curving Clipped Planchet Error Coin
1962 Elliptical Clipped Florin

Double Strikes
Out of Collar Double Struck Coin Error
Flip Over Double Struck Coin Error
Rotated Double Struck Coin Error
A Double/Triple (and more) Struck 1946 Shilling -Out of Collar Multiple Strike
Brockage Indent Double Strike Partial Collar 20 cent Multiple Error Coin
Rotated Double Struck 1964y Halfpenny Error
Double Struck Australian 2 Cent Coin Errors (off centre and out of collar)
1974 5c Flip Over Off Centre Double Strike

Errors Due to Collar Problems or Planchet Location Problems
Australian Broadstrike Errors
Broadstrike 1966 Perth Minted 2 Cent
Off-Centre Coin Errors
Out of collar or Partial Collar Coin Errors
Ramstrike or High Lip Coin Error
Ramstrike Australian 50c Coin Error
Australian Indent Errors
Australian Indent Error with Partial Brockage Penny
Indent Error with Partial Brockage 50c
Struck Through Crescent Clip Blank 1954 Florin Error
Tilted Partial Collar Error Year 2000 20 Cent
Out of Collar 1959 Florin
Off Centre 1946 Florin
Out of Collar 1952 Shilling
Off Centre 1975 50 cent
1966C 20 Cent Broadstruck Out of Collar Error
Coins Struck on Foreign Objects or Feeder Fingers

Errors Due to Planchet Flaws or Impurities
Peel or Lamination Flaw Coin Error
Planchet Flaw Coin Error
The Clamshell Coin Error
Australian Split Planchet Errors
Split Planchet Errors Part 2
Split Planchet Errors Part 3 Hinged Split or Clamshell
Lamination Flaw -there’s a hole right through my coin!
Strike Through Error
Struck Thru Oil 2 Cent Error
Planchet Flaw 1966 London 20 cent Error

Other Coin Errors
The “Upset” or Rotated Die Coin Error.
Double Errors
Rare Australian Decimal Coins: Part Two- Extreme Decimal Rarities
The Mule Coin Error
The 2000 $1 / 10c Mule
Die Clash Error Australian Sixpence
Clashed Die or Die Clash Coin Error
Coin Cuds or Die Chip Error Coins
Australian One Dollar Mob of Roos Rabbit Ear Error
2008 Double Tail Roo Dollar Variety
Die Adjustment Strike Error Coin
Low Pressure Strike 1964 Penny Error
Low Pressure Strike ND 1966-1984 5 cent
Weak Strike and Die Fill Comparison

Double Heads or Double Tails Coins
2007 Double Heads 5 Cent
Double Obverse 1969 50c (double heads)

Wrong Planchet Error Coins
2014 50c Struck on a Brass Planchet
One Dollar on 10c Planchet
Wrong Planchet Error Coins
Foreign Planchet Error Coins
Australian Mob of Roos One Dollar Struck on Venezuelan Bi-metal Planchet
Australian $2 Struck on Foreign Planchet or Washer!
Australia 1995 United Nations 20c Struck on Thai Temple Token Blank
More Australian Two Dollar Error Coins Struck on Euro 10c Planchets
$2 Struck on 5 Cent Planchet Error
1944s Florin Struck on a Shilling Planchet Error
2001 20 Cent Struck on Bi-Metal Planchet
2017 20c Struck on Cook Islands 2 Dollar Planchet
1988 2 cent Struck on 1c Planchet
1989 5c Struck on 1c Planchet (off-metal coin error)

Coin Packaging Errors
1986 Mint Set with 1985 10 Cent Coin
2015 ANZACS Remembered 20c Packaging Errors

Technically not an error
Coin Blank Planchets
Fake Errors -Don’t be Fooled, PMD Post Mint Damage
Missing Colour 2 Dollar Coins

Coin Errors on display at the Royal Australian Mint
Error Coins on Display at The Royal Australian Mint
Error Coins on Display at The Royal Australian Mint Part 2

Coin Errors “One in a Million’ Unexpected Treasures” RAM Exhibition September 2011
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Articles appearing in Australasian Coin and Banknote Magazine
Subscribe using this link for the most recent articles.
A Partial Engagement –the story of partial collar errors March 2017 issue
Split Planchet Decimal Coin Errors May 2015 magazine
Hub Doubled 1943M threepence June 2015 magazine
Dramatic $2 Coin Errors Appearing (double struck 2 dollars) August 2010 issue
The Foreign Planchet Shilling September 2011 issue
1981 Charles and Diana 50c -a flawed pair February 2012 issue
How to Determine if a Clipped Planchet Error is Real June 2012 issue
Australia $2 Struck on Euro 10c Planchet September 2012 issue
A Striking Partial Collar 2c Error May 2013 issue
2005 Mob of Roos $1 Coin – Struck 10% Off-Centre What Went Wrong -error coins that escaped the mint August 2020
1960 Florin Straight Partial Collar Error What Went Wrong -error coins that escaped the mint September 2020
1976 50 Cents Double Struck Error What Went Wrong -error coins that escaped the mint October 2020

Interesting World Errors
New Zealand Split Planchet -coin struck on already split planchet
Great Britain 1966 Sixpence Straight Partial Collar with Royal Mint Letter
New Zealand 2004 10 Cent 1 Dollar Mule
New Zealand 1967 2c Muled With Bahama Islands 5 Cent
Fiji 1969 5 cent Struck on a Split Planchet
Papua New Guinea 1975 20 Toea Indent Error

Mint Mistakes

Posted in Error Coins

2007 Sydney Harbour Bridge 75th Anniversary Dollar Coin

Posted on October 14, 2009 by msn

2007 Sydney Harbour Bridge C Mintmark

2007 saw the 75th anniversary of the completion of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The bridge has become a national icon for Australia recognised all over the world. It was opened on 19th March 1932 after 8 years of construction with planning beginning in 1912.

At it’s highest point the bridge measures 134 metres tall and spans 503 metres with a total length of 1150 metres. At 49 metres wide the expanse of the bridge truly makes it an international visitor attraction. The bridge was built from each side with approach spans erected first then a main arch. Both sides of the arch were joined on August 19th 1930 much to the admiration of Sydney-siders. The road deck was then hung from the arch. The bridge contains 52,800 tonnes of steel-work and 17,000 tonnes of granite. The arch itself weighs 39,000 tonnes.

The joining of the two sides is the design depicted on the one dollar coin by Wojciech Pietranik. The obverse carries the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. There were a lot of differing mint mark issues of the Sydney Harbour Bridge dollar released in 2007. The Royal Australian Mint brought their portable press to many venues throughout the year, including the Capital Collectables Show in Canberra, Sydney Royal Easter Show, Brisbane ANDA show and Melbourne ANDA show. Coins struck on the portable press show a shallower strike than those struck on the main production presses at the RAM. A B mintmark coin in folder was overprinted for the World Money fair in Berlin. There have been a few examples arise of coins accidentally struck without a mint-mark, these demand quite a high premium. In addition there have been a very few of these coins that were struck with two mintmarks, and you can see one of these in the image at the top of this article.

All mint mark coins discussed above were struck in aluminium bronze weighing 9 grams. They are the standard circulation dollar size of 25mm in diameter but were not released into circulation. An S mint-mark coin was available in a joint Australia Post/RAM PNC (postal numismatic cover). A pure silver proof dollar without a mintmark was also released in a presentation case for $40.

Posted in Collecting Coins

Australian Decimal Mint Rolls

Posted on September 24, 2009 by msn

A selection of Mint Rolls, Security Rolls and Security Bags

When coins leave the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra to enter circulation as our new currency they are usually sent to security companies for distrbution. Security companies distribute coins to banks and retailers. The bulk lots of coins from the RAM are packaged by these security companies into manageable parcels for ease of counting and distributing. Security companies in Australia who distribute coinage are:

Armaguard
Brambles
Chubb

Bulk coin is processed from the mint by security companies into rolls and bags of coins in different denominations

$2 = $50
$1 = $20
50c = $10
20c = $4
10c = $4
5c = $2

All coins received by the security companies are poured into hoppers, fed through and counted into rolls or bags in these denominations. Security companies do this with new coin and also recovered circulated coins from their clients.

Here’s the dilemma with getting rolled coins from security companies. It’s not always certain that all coins in the roll are new coins. The end coins may be new but the coins within the roll could be recirculated currency. It’s pot luck unless you have been there and seen all new coins fed into the hopper of the rolling machine. Often though it is safe to assume all coins are new if one or more rolls have been cracked open and it’s determined that the batch is of all new coin. With mint bags it’s easier because you can see the coins within the packaging. Mint bags have a downside in that the coins are free to move within the bag thus sustain damage.

In the past coins have also been rolled by the Reserve Bank prior to distribution after leaving the mint. Who rolled the coins can be determined by reading the labelling on the paper of the wrapper.

Just recently the RAM has returned to rolling coins themselves. It’s common to find early decimal rolls in RAM paper. You used to be able to buy rolled new coin directly from the mint but they ceased doing this years ago. Since 2007 the RAM has been selling special rolls of commemorative dollar coins in specially designed paper. These rolls were collector only issues and include:

2007 Apec dollars

2008 Scout dollars

2009 Pensioner dollars

Posted in Collecting Coins

How to Determine a Genuine Clipped Coin Error

Posted on September 24, 2009 by kdh

We’ve looked at all the different types of clips before and how they’ve occured but how can you really tell if you have a genuine clip or not?

Often it is difficult to tell if a clip is a genuine error from the mint or if someone has simply used a guillotine or tin snips to manufacture the defect. There are a few distinguishing features that will help you determine a genuine coin clip. A genuine clip will show at least one of these effects.

1. The Blakesley Effect: named after the American numismatist who first described this defect. It occurs as a weakness on the rim opposing the clip site. This only occurs on coins in which the planchets have been pre-rimmed before striking. Coins that are rimmed during the striking process of the coin such as the Australian 50c will not show the Blakesley effect. You can see an example of this effect in the right image outlined in red below.

2. Fish-Tailing: is a deformation of the lettering in the legend or on the design around the clip site. Instead of the edges of the letters being straight, they have an inward lip and the metal has flowed outwards at the edges. Due to the incomplete planchet (the clip) the metal has not been contained during the striking so the edges of the letters or edges of the design have fish-tailed outwards. This will occur on the lettering or on any part of the design near the clip site. Often this might only be distinguishable under magnification, the image below left has been highlighted so you can see the fishtailing affecting this halfpenny.

3. Strike Weakness: will sometimes occur near the clip site. This is due to the planchet being slightly thinner on the edge at the clip. Because of the missing metal it will flow into the void creating a weak strike or a weakness in the area near the clip. This is clearly shown in the image below left.

A genuine 1961 halfpenny clip showing all 3 effects (highlighted in red)

Posted in Error Coins

Proclamation Coin – Spanish Silver Dollar or 8 Reales

Posted on August 29, 2009 by msn

Spanish Colonial 1801FM 8 Reales – Mexico Mint

In our previous entry about Australian proclamation coins I mentioned the Spanish Silver Dollar (or 8 reales) which was valued at 5s the proclamation. The 8 reales (or royals) coin of Spain and her colonies was probably the best known coin in the world at the time of Australian proclamation of 1800. Spanish milled dollars (also famously known as pieces of 8) were struck from 1732 until 1826. They are referred to as milled dollars because the planchets were made on a milling machine giving a uniform size and mass. Before 1732 8R coins were created by hammering the design onto irregularly shaped cobs cut from silver bars. From 1732 until 1773 Spanish Silver dollars were minted with the Spanish coat of arms on one side and the familiar Pillars of Hercules on the other, silver dollars from this period were known as ‘pillar dollars’. From 1773 onward the coat of arms gave way to a portrait of the Spanish monarch, coins from this time were known as ‘portrait dollars’. Spanish dollars were minted in several different mints, in several different countries, and with many different assayers initials on the pillar side of the coin. The number of varieties available is well beyond the scope of this article and has been the subject of many books.

Minted from about 27 grams of 0.913 fine silver the Spanish silver dollar formed the basis of silver dollars from many different countries for almost the next 200 years. It was the model for the US silver dollar (the 8R was legal tender in the USA until the 1860’s) with the silver content and size similar to US silver dollars minted until the 1930’s. Other countries minted silver coins of a similar size and silver content as the Spanish 8R, these included Great Britain, China, Japan, Mexico, many different South American countries, and even France.

When purchasing a Spanish silver dollar I think that originality of surfaces and genuine toning is paramount. Wear, while an important factor, is not critical. A nicely toned VF 8R is a lovely thing to behold and a lot more attractive than a dipped AU or UNC coin. That being said if you can find a toned uncirculated 8R at a reasonable cost I’d be jumping at the chance!. One thing to be aware of with silver dollars of Spain and her colonies is that some date / assayers / mint combinations are rare and can bring high prices from speci

Posted in Australian Proclamation Coins

The Upset or Rotated Die Coin Variety Error

Posted on August 28, 2009 by kdh

Australia 2010 Upset 50c

An upset coin is produced during minting when the dies for the reverse and obverse of the coin are not aligned correctly. This may be because it was incorrectly installed in the press or it rotated during the production run of coins.

For Australian coins if you hold the reverse of the coin upright with a thumb and forefinger on the top and bottom edge you should be able to rotate the coin around to view the obverse which will be upright also. Australian coins are minted in what is known as ‘medal alignment’ -the back and front or heads and tails are both upright when viewed. Coins from other countries such as the USA for example mint their coins in what is known as ‘coin alignment’. This means if you hold the reverse of a ‘coin alignment coin’ (such an an American quarter) upright and rotate the coin around to view the obverse it will be upside down (in contrast to Australian coins).

A regular coin should have the Queen (or King) look at you straight on. During minting one of the dies might not be aligned correctly or might rotate during the production run. When turning the coin around, if a coin is an upset it will show the obverse (Queen’s side) facing anything but upright. She may be leaning over to the right 90 degrees (a 90 deg upset) or upside down (180 degree upset). You may find these upset errors in any number of degrees of the clockface.

If one side of the coin is only rotated a small amount, up to say 15 deg (or 1 o’clock) it won’t be considered an upset. This angle may be considered normal as there is a small allowance (tolerance) for slight angle movement in the struck coin. Pre-decimal coins may often have a slight degree of upset which is considered normal which is not so common in decimal coins.

Australia 2001 Upset $1

During one production run of 2001 Centenary of Federation Dollars at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra this error occurred. Collectors have found varying degrees of upset coins ranging the entire clockface from 1 degree to 359 degrees. In this case during only one production run the obverse die rotated throughout the run causing the varying degrees of upset.

Other significant decimal coins which can be found with a rotated die are 1966 5 cent, 1966 10 cent, 2001 platypus 20c and 2010 50 cent coins. Interestingly with the 50c rotation, because of the 12 sides it’s believed that one die was either incorrectly installed in the press or was hubbed rotated just one angle of alignment out, 30 degrees or one side.

An upset coin will demand a premium over it’s regular counterpart. The degree of upset will also determine how collectable it is. A Federation $1 upset pulled from circulation with a 90 degree angle may fetch $20 or more depending on it’s condition so it’s worth looking out for this error in your change. It is also a coin that is not impossible to find! These Federation upsets are the most common upset coins to find. Any other upset of another denomination or a pre-decimal upset with a high rotation will certainly command a higher premium as they are much less common.

1966 10 cent Upset Variety

Posted in Error Coins

Overdates

Error Coins on Display at The Royal Australian Mint

Counterfeit Australian $2 Coins

Proclamation Coin – Netherlands Gold Ducat

Coin Errors and Misstrikes

2007 Sydney Harbour Bridge 75th Anniversary Dollar Coin

Australian Decimal Mint Rolls

How to Determine a Genuine Clipped Coin Error

Proclamation Coin – Spanish Silver Dollar or 8 Reales

The Upset or Rotated Die Coin Variety Error

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