1923 Half Penny

The 1923 half penny is the

Key date

A difficult date to acquire in any grade, hence being the key to a series

 

key date for the entire half penny series and represents the toughest financial challenge the half penny collector will face. The coin is desirable in all conditions with pitted and worn examples finding their place in budget half penny collections and pieces in AU50 or better finding their place in mid-range to high-end investment portfolios.

While the 1923 half penny has a reasonably sizable

Mintage

The number of coins struck of a particular designation

 

mintage of 1,113,600 coins being struck at the Sydney

Mint

a facility that produces coins

 

mint, these were dated 1922 (Learn more about the 1922 Half Penny) and the 1923

Mintage

The number of coins struck of a particular designation

 

mintage was actually struck at the Melbourne

Mint

a facility that produces coins

 

mint with a requested total of 480,000 coins (Sterling & Currency, 2008). Despite this still relatively high

Mintage

The number of coins struck of a particular designation

 

mintage, only two

Die

A cylindrical punch with an inverted impression of a coin's design used to strike the coin

 

dies were prepared for the Melbourne

Mint

a facility that produces coins

 

mint which should have been enough to strike about 150,000 coins but both

Die

A cylindrical punch with an inverted impression of a coin's design used to strike the coin

 

dies formed

Die crack

A crack on the die which produces a raised line on the die it produces, or on the coins it strikes

 

cracks during the striking limiting the total

Mintage

The number of coins struck of a particular designation

 

mintage to a much lower figure. This was the first time the Melbourne

Mint

a facility that produces coins

 

mint attempted to strike half pennies and faults were bound to occur.

Obverse die cracks of the 1923 half penny

Die crack

A crack on the die which produces a raised line on the die it produces, or on the coins it strikes

 

Die cracks typically form around the left side of the

Obverse

The heads side of the coin

 

obverse

Legend

The inscription around the inner edge of the coin

 

legend with pieces struck from a later

Die

A cylindrical punch with an inverted impression of a coin's design used to strike the coin

 

die state tending to form

Die crack

A crack on the die which produces a raised line on the die it produces, or on the coins it strikes

 

cracks around the right side of both the

Obverse

The heads side of the coin

 

obverse and

Reverse

The tails side of the coin

 

reverse

Legend

The inscription around the inner edge of the coin

 

legends as in the below illustration.

Reverse die crack of the 1923 half penny

The 1923 has enjoyed strong demand since the 1960s with collectors striving to complete half penny collections finding the 1923 being by far the hardest gap to fill and consequently has been one of the strongest performing pre-decimal coins in any grade.

The Melbourne

Mint

a facility that produces coins

 

mint also produced

Proof

A coin struck from specially prepared dies to strike a superior quality coin not intended for circulation

 

proof half pennies in 1923 (Learn more about the 1923 Proof Half Penny).

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