Inherited cache of Numismatic Treasure! Advice needed.

wilkes

wilkes

Member
Hey all,

So, about 10 years ago my grandma gave me a coffee can full of pre decimal coins. There are roughly 5 ounces of mixed silver coins, 100 Aus Pennies, 70 Half Pennies, 15 British Pennies and 10 British Halves.

Recently I went on a trip to my childhood home and picked the can up and am only now going through it. Have seen some interesting dates as I have gone through it and the condition of most coins is exceptional, considering they have sat in that can for decades.

As I have looked through coin values, it seems that some pennies are valued quite highly (no 1930 though haha..). I was just wondering what you would do if you were me? I want to take some of the rarer coins out and conserve them somehow... I was thinking it might be wise to buy a pile of capsules and encapsulate the better dates or even send them off for grading and conservation.

I have a few questions I would love some help with :)

1. Is it worth having any higher qual, rarer coins graded?
2. Which grading service is better for these older pennies? PCGS or NGC?
3. Any Penny dates to really look out for? I have NEARLY every year from 1912 to 1960+.

Thanks all!
 
Australian Pennies were minted from 1911 to 1964 inclusive. Some years had more than one type of Penny minted, some slightly different because they were minted in different mints, some overseas.

There were no Pennies issued in 1937 and 1954.

The rarest Australian Penny is the 1937 pattern coin (which were never released into circulation), the 1920 (no dots) and 1930 coins are rare, and 1925 and 1946 coins are considered to be scarce. If any of these coins were available, they would be well outside the budget for most people

A Proof Penny from any year would be valuable.

A mint uncirculated Penny from 1948 or earlier would be valuable.

Most "Extremely Fine" coins from 1946 or earlier would be valuable.

Grading of circulated coins


Good - A heavily worn coin with design visible, though flat in most areas.
Very Good - Well worn, though design and main features are reasonably clear.
Fine - The highest points of the design and lettering show some smooth wear. Fine scratches maybe seen in the field and on the design. The rim border is also smooth in some parts.
Very Fine - The design and lettering is clearly defined, but some slight wear is evident on the high points of the design and rim border. A few minor scratches may be seen.
Extremely Fine - Little wear is evident on the high points of design and lettering. All fine detail can be seen and a few fine scratches may be found from rough handling in modern minting processes. Some mint bloom or lustre may be seen.

If you are looking towards collecting Australian Pennies, get yourself a copy of "The Pocket Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes", a relatively cheap publication recommended by the Royal Australian Mint".
 
thats great info hiho. I have my named tagged on 3 big jars of pennies that were my grandpa's. cant wait to collect them.
 
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