COPPER COINAGE
Following World War I , with Australia ’ s population booming , heavy demand for coins saw the Commonwealth Government ask The Perth Mint to supply pennies for circulation in the western half of the nation . Large pennies made from copper , which is less malleable than gold , required the modification of two presses , but the minters in Perth rose to the challenge , producing more than three million 1922 King George V pennies .
DECIMAL CHANGE
In 1966 , Australia switched from pounds , shillings and pence to dollars and cents . Once again , the Mint was asked to help by striking new low denomination decimal coppers in readiness for ‘ changeover ’ day on 14 February . Even though a new national mint opened in Canberra in 1965 , production continued in Perth until 1984 , by which time 26 million 1 cent coins and 829 million 2 cent coins had been manufactured .
FEATURE ARTICLE
Copper coin production began in earnest in 1940 . Over the ensuing 24 years , output amounted to 438 million pennies and 256 million halfpennies .
If you have a penny or halfpenny and want to know if it ’ s made in Perth , look for a dot after the Y in PENNY / HALFPENNY , or a dot after AUSTRALIA . On George VI pennies look for a dot between the initials K and G ( Kruger Gray ).
SILVER FORAY
The Perth Mint ’ s first silver coin was a 1946 shilling . Prior to this date shillings were struck from 92.5 % silver , which made them worth more than their face value . Perth took on their manufacture in a new alloy comprising 50 % silver , 40 % copper , zinc and nickel – said to be particularly frustrating to work with . Nevertheless , The Perth Mint produced a total of 1,316,000 shillings featuring the beloved ‘ ram ’ s head ’ design for George VI .
Our 1946 shilling has a dot before the S in SHILLING .
When it comes to determining whether 1 or 2 cent coins were made in Perth , it really is only possible to be determined on the 1966 issues . Look for a blunt second whisker on the 1 cent coin ’ s feather-tailed glider ; or look for a blunt first right claw on the 2 cent coin ’ s frilled-neck lizard .
MODERN NUMISMATIC PIECES
The Perth Mint ’ s ambitious program of gold and silver collectable products for fans of modern numismatics really took off in the early years of the new millennium . The resurrection of our historic ‘ P ’ mintmark , and its ‘ P125 ’ incarnation signifying our 125th anniversary in 2024 , proudly proclaims their Perth heritage .
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