The 1911 penny marks the first copper coin struck for the Commonwealth of Australia, 10 years after Federation. It was produced at the Royal
Mint
a facility that produces coins
mint, London as the Australian
Mint
a facility that produces coins
mints were not yet ready to produce copper coins. Being the first year of Australian coinage, the
Mintage
The number of coins struck of a particular designation
mintage had to be high at 3.7 million to ensure that demand for circulating coinage would be met with sufficient supply. Consequently the 1911 is one of the more common dates of the series despite being the earliest.
In
Mint state
A state of a coin that shows no signs of circulation
mint state grades it is the most common in the series, being the oldest, it was frequently hoarded and in addition, London coin dealer Baldwins also held at least two
Mint roll
A common means of distributing coins where a mint stores coins in paper rolls before distributing them to banks
mint rolls of the date which accounts for their abundance in
Mint state
A state of a coin that shows no signs of circulation
mint state with original
Mint brilliance
The original golden-red-orange-pink colour of a copper coin
mint brilliance, almost unheard of in George V coinage. In fact it is the only date in the George V series and one of only about 12 dates in the entire penny series that is readily available with full
Mint brilliance
The original golden-red-orange-pink colour of a copper coin
mint brilliance. Being the only George V date readily available in such condition, and also being the first year, it is heavily targeted by
Type set
A collection consisting of one coin of each type and possibly variety
type set collectors and consequently commands high premiums in
Red
The colour designation of a copper coin that has at least 95% of its original mint brilliance
red Mint state
A state of a coin that shows no signs of circulation
mint state despite its abundance.
The strike is usually good but the date sometimes suffers from a
Central strike weakness
A weak strike around the centre of the design caused by a lack of concavity in the dies relative to strike pressure.
central strike weakness, usually offset towards the top of the coin. This is most noticeable around the top scroll and
N of
ONE on the
Reverse
The tails side of the coin
reverse, and the King's head and the band on the crown on the
Obverse
The heads side of the coin
obverse as in the illustrations below.
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| Reverse of a soft 1911 penny |
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| Obverse of a soft 1911 penny |
The Royal
Mint
a facility that produces coins
mint London also produced
Specimen
A coin struck from an early circulation die state, not intended for circulation
specimen strikes in 1911 (
Learn more about the 1911 Specimen Penny).
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