? The proof 1923 half penny is one of Australia's most expensive copper coins, with the single example in private hands selling in early 2009 for half a million dollars . 1923 Half Penny. Available at: https://www.coinlink.com/News/world-coins/aussie-half-penny-sets-500000-record-and-1930-proof-penny-being-offered/ Glossary proof: A coin struck from specially prepared dies to strike a superior quality coin not intended for circulation ...
The 1885 Melbourne is the rarest date in the Young Head series, coming from a tiny mintage of 11,003. Marsh rates this coin as R5 , a strong indication of the coins' extreme rarity before the Reserve Bank of Australia released its gold holdings. A present day estimate would be closer to 200. The type turns up once or twice per year at auction in the lower grades and has historically demanded a premium over catalogue values. The date generally turns up in the VF to XF range and although it is ...
? The Chinese Zodiac is an astrological system that rotates through a twelve year lunar cycle. Each of these years is associated with an animal arranged in order from the rat through to the pig. An ancient folk story states that the order was established by a race between the animals that was orchestrated by the Jade Emperor of China. It is believed that each of these animals is associated with a set of characteristics that may serve as an astrological guide to understand the events that occur in ...
? The 2014 Bright Bugs Series is the Royal Australian Mint's fifth animal series, following the popular Ocean, Land, Sea, and Polar series. The Bright Bugs series encompasses six, uncirculated coins, each depicting some of Australia's most interesting insects; the Blowfly, Ulysses Butterfly, Cuckoo Wasp, Stag Beetle, Grasshopper, and Red Bull Ant. The series was periodically released in pairs throughout the year in specially designed cards. Leichhardt's grasshopper was discovered by German ...
? The Longfin Bannerfish or Heniochus acuminatus, is one of the more distinctive and recognisable of the fish found amongst the Australian coral reefs. It is common to find them in protected deep lagoons and channels as well as outer slopes of many reefs . The Bannerfish was aptly chosen to feature on this commemorative one dollar coin. The black bands and the yellow tail fin are the features that make this fish so recognisable and their role in the ocean is to remove parasites ...