Seeing RichardAL post today about UK Double florins being in Australia and my own interest in these coins. I thought I would share some information to start a discussion. Are others interested in collecting UK coins and other coins used in circulation in the Australian colonies prior to Federation? Something I found that I didn't know was that the Sydney mint not only produced sovereigns from 1858 but produced bronze coins in 1868 and in 1879 it issued Imperial silver coinage. Does anyone have any information on Sydney, Perth and Melbourne mintage of imperial coins in this era? Do they have mint marks so we can distinguish them from London mint? The RAM website says:"A Melbourne branch followed in 1872 and a Perth branch opened in 1899" I imagine that the front of the coins would have had: Victoria (Young Head) 1879-1886 Victoria (Jubilee Head) 1887-1892 (Double florins would be 1887-1890?) Victoria (old head) 1893-1901 Edward VII 1902-1909 The silver coins in this period would be 3d 6d 1s 2s(Florin) 2/6 (Half crown) 4s(Double Florin) 5s (Crown)? Or were there only some minted? Eg 3d 6d 1s 2s? Cheers
Where about did you read that Australian issued imperial silver/copper coinage prior to 1910? That excluded trial mintage and restamped Holey dollars/8 reales. I'll assume that copper and silver was exported.
im pretty sure that they didn't mint official silver or bronze coinage pre 1910 i have previously read that they had issues with equipment and expertise in the early pre decimal era which lead to rarities such as the 1923 half penny because the imported dies would explode under the incorrectly set presures etc
Prior to 1910, coinage in Australia was shipped from Britain for official money other then by decree. Usually money was very scarce and so they used Rum as a base of monetary system. There was cerficates of deposits I guess and that was used as money, but other than soveriegns and half soveriegns, Australia didn't issuse British silver or copper coinage and there is no records that I know of that says otherwise. Early Australian token could be found in circulation, even silver ones doubt many used them. Most of the silver change or any change would have been minted else where. Other than gold coins I would think that most other coins would require quite specialize equipment.
From "Mint Building and Hyde Park Barracks Group". New South Wales State Heritage Register. Office of Environment and Heritage. H00190. Retrieved 13 October 2018: The Sydney Branch expanded its production in 1868 to bronze coins and again in 1879 to issue Imperial silver coinage. After federation, it was one of three mints to strike the new Commonwealth coins.[4] So my question was not "whether", but rather, "what". I know that silver coins were minted here. I just wanted to know which ones and whether they were mint marked.
I remember reading something about this many years ago, although the details are a bit foggy. Pretty sure it was all without mintmarks, as it was just to alleviate an acute shortage of silver and copper coins in the Australian colonies at the time. I have never seen a picture or a reference to a British silver or copper coin from that timeline with an Australian mintmark.
