1946 Penny

The 1946 penny is the

Key date

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

 

key date of the George VI penny series in circulated condition and the third scarcest in top grades, after the 1940-KG penny (Learn more about the 1940 K.G Penny) and the 1948-Y Penny (Learn more about the 1948-Y Penny). The year's scarcity originates from its low

Mintage

The number of coins struck of a particular designation

 

mintage of 363,000 pieces, less than 1/50th of the average

Mintage

The number of coins struck of a particular designation

 

mintage during the wartime years.

From 1942 to 1945, Australia saw a great number of American troops stationed in Australia resulting in the addition need for circulating currency. To meet this need, Australia sought help from the San Francisco and Denver

Mint

a facility that produces coins

 

mints to strike silver coins and the Bombay

Mint

a facility that produces coins

 

mint to strike its copper. Towards the conclusion of World War II, with the American forces leaving Australia, Australia found itself with an oversupply of circulating currency and consequently had no significant need for more circulating coins. This was especially true for pennies, with well over 100 million pennies being struck in preceding wartime years.

With Australian forces occupying Japan, a large percentage of 1946 pennies were sent to Australian troops stationed in Japan further increasing their rarity (Sterling & Currency, 2008) making the 1946 penny one of the last gaps to fill in any penny collector's set.

The date is usually found circulated around the XF level and gets quite scarce into the mid AU grades. In

Mint state

A state of a coin that shows no signs of circulation

 

mint state it is almost always found a dull

Brown

A copper coin practically devoid of any original mint brilliance

 

brown with examples that show any original

Mint brilliance

The original golden-red-orange-pink colour of a copper coin

 

mint brilliance being very scarce.

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