1911 Half Penny

The first year of Australia's copper coincided with the coronation of King George V in 1911, when the Royal

Mint

a facility that produces coins

 

mint London struck 2,832,060 half pennies and sent them by ship to Australia; Consequently the date often features numerous

Bagmarks

Surface marks caused by impact from other coins during the handling process before the coin enters circulation

 

bagmarks and

Surface hairlines

Fine surface marks caused by other coins scraping against them

 

surface hairlines.

The date is readily available in circulated grades though in

Mint state

A state of a coin that shows no signs of circulation

 

mint state it's less common with only one notable hoard turning up, that being from a Baldwin's

Mint roll

A common means of distributing coins where a mint stores coins in paper rolls before distributing them to banks

 

mint roll along with the 1912 (Learn more about the 1912-H Half Penny). Nevertheless, as the first year of issue, it was often hoarded by the public and as a result, the date does turn in the lower

Mint state

A state of a coin that shows no signs of circulation

 

mint state grades from time to time. The typical

Mint state

A state of a coin that shows no signs of circulation

 

mint state example would grade MS63 though does often go up to MS64. Finding examples beyond this, like most other copper dates, is very difficult and almost exclusively indicates Baldwin's

Provenance

The ownership history of a coin or other important collectible

 

provenance.

The date is often softly struck up sometimes only showing 6 pearls in his majesty's crown, this should not be confused for wear, the presence of

Mint lustre

The original reflectivity of a coin

 

mint lustre can help differentiate between a softly struck piece and a worn piece though lustre on the 1911 is often subdued.

Softly struck 1911 half penny

Above is a zoomed version of a softly struck 1911 half penny, graded MS63BN by PCGS, as you can see the pearls are difficult to make out and the cross on the orb is poorly defined.

The Royal

Mint

a facility that produces coins

 

mint also produced a

Specimen

A coin struck from an early circulation die state, not intended for circulation

 

specimen strike in 1911 (Learn more about the 1911 Specimen Half Penny).

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