Never give up, advises young coin collector

 Posted by  Silver, Your Story
May 162013
 

Share_Your_StoryIt’s great to hear from a young coin collector who really knows his onions. A follower of The Perth Mint on Twitter, @Sharpy96 (aka Daniel) tells us that he’s aiming for the ultimate prize in Australian numismatics – a 1930 penny! There’s no doubting his determination to build a broad-based collection, as he reveals in this terrific reply to our invitation to Write for Us.

“When I tell my friends that I collect coins they all say one thing, what is the point in buying a coin that has a face value of $1.00. But what they refuse to understand is that there is a collectible market for them and they are not just your usual everyday coins.

After showing them some of the magic that the Royal Australian Mint and the Perth Mint has created, they have started to realize the true beauty that was behind the coins and the reason that I spend whatever money I have on enlarging my collection with one goal I’m mind – to eventually get a 1930 Penny, the crown jewel out of all Australian coins.

When I was eight years old I started to get interested in coins. My dad had a few sets including the 1991 Proof Set and the 1991 Masterpieces In Silver, and when I started to see the shininess of the proof coins I started to act like a magpie. I was attracted to the lustre, but not the true art that was pressed into the coin. As I got older I started to see that there was an art to creating such a perfect coin.

In 2009 I really got interested in collecting and that’s where my hobby really kicked off. I started saving up and buying 1oz silver proofs and a couple of uncirculated coins and now four years on I’m still enlarging my collection at the age of 16.

1996_Kookaburra

Daniel nominated this 1996 Australian Kookaburra as one of his favourite Perth Mint coins.

I also recently got introduced to professionally graded pre-decimal coins which although expensive are truly magnificent, and I recently started a collection of Florins which will take me a fair amount of time to complete. But I know that the end result will end in satisfaction and I will have a piece of history which will last me a lifetime.

As I have gotten older I have started to not only think of them as a collectible items but as pieces of history, knowing that some of my coins which have a very limited mintage may never be on the market again for me to try to collect.

And for pre-decimal coins, due to time and age damaging the precious coins that once would have been the necessary coins for a family to get food onto the table for their family, they start to become harder and harder to collect in high grades.

My number one piece of advice for young collectors would have to be don’t give up; other people may think you’re silly for buying some old coins but really you’re buying a piece of history that they will never see and will never know existed. So go out there and have a great time collecting your own unique collection.”

POST A COMMENT

DESIGN GUIDE – Australian Sovereign 2013 Gold Proof Coin

 Posted by  Gold, Historic
May 092013
 

A new chapter has begun for The Perth Mint Gold Proof Australian Sovereign.

Previously portraying the Australian Coat of Arms, the annual release now pays tribute to an historic colonial design.

1855 – 1870 Sydney Mint Sovereign

With the discovery of payable gold in New South Wales, permission was granted to open a branch of the Royal Mint in Sydney.

Sydney_Sovereign

Original Sydney Mint sovereign.

In 1855, the new mint began converting locally-mined gold into a universally accepted form – sovereigns and half-sovereigns of the same weight and fineness as those made in London.

The design, however, was not the imperial type. Instead, Leonard Charles Wyon created a colonial alternative that broke with a number of traditions.

 

Design Motifs

  • The design’s principal motifs consisted of a crown and laurel wreath.
  • It identified the place of manufacture with the inscription SYDNEY MINT and bore a notation of value – ONE SOVEREIGN – absent on imperial types.
  • Of even more interest, it included the name AUSTRALIA, which did not become a political entity until almost half a century later.

According to Rennicks, it was the first and last time the Royal Mint ever assented to break from traditional designs in any of the colonies.

The Sydney sovereigns were at first legal tender only in Australasia. Had they proved inferior, this and their distinctive design would have minimised potential damage to the reputation of Britain’s gold coinage.

But as Andrew Crellin has pointed out, it didn’t take long for it to become “clear to even the greatest sceptic in Britain that these attractive coins deserved every confidence they enjoyed.”

2013 Australian Sovereign

2013 Australian Sovereign

Ironically, this success was their undoing. In 1870 Wyon’s unique colonial design was revoked and henceforward standard British designs appeared on Australia-made sovereigns.

A source of considerable colonial pride for 15 years, the original Sydney Mint sovereign is the inspiration for our sumptuous 2013 Australian Sovereign gold proof coin.

POST A COMMENT

The remarkable story of Australia’s first banknote

 Posted by  Historic, Silver
May 082013
 

It is exactly 100 years since the issue of Australia’s first banknote. In conjunction with Australia Post, we’re delighted to mark this momentous event with a superb commemorative set including this stunning rectangular coin.

First_banknote100th Anniversary of Australia’s First Banknote
1oz Silver Proof Coin and Stamp Set

14 Interesting Banknote Facts

  1. Up to 1910, notes issued by the private banks and the Queensland Government circulate as Australia’s paper currency.
  2. The passing of the Australian Notes Act of 1910 assigns responsibility for the issue of banknotes to the Commonwealth Treasury.
  3. Treasury invites the public to submit designs for a unique Australian currency, but entries are judged to be unsuitable.
  4. In 1912, Englishman Thomas Samuel Harrison, who has extensive experience in the field of security printing, is appointed Australia’s first banknote printer.
  5. A new printing works is established in Kings Warehouse at the western end of Flinders Street in Melbourne.
  6. The first banknote of the Commonwealth of Australia is worth 10 shillings.
  7. Included on the note are depictions of the Australian Coat of Arms and the Goulburn Weir in Victoria.
  8. A ceremony to number the first batch takes place on 1 May 1913.
  9. Judith Denman, the five year-old daughter of Governor-General Lord Thomas Denman, prints the serial number M000001 on the initial note.
  10. Prime Minister, Andrew Fisher officially presents her with the note.
  11. It is discovered in the UK in Judith Denman’s belongings in 1999, 12 years after she passes away.
  12. The note returns to Australia when a collector purchases it for around $1 million.
  13. The note sells for a second time in 2008 for $1.9 million.
  14. The note is offered for sale in May 2013 (via Coinworks), 100 years after it was issued.
Can I see Australia’s first banknote?

If you are in Melbourne between 10 and 15 May, the historic note is on display at the World Stamp Expo 2013, Royal Exhibition Building.

POST A COMMENT

Stamp and Coin Cover clearance – limited time only!

 Posted by  Base Metal, Special Offer
May 082013
 

Remaining stock of these popular Stamp & Coin Covers can now be purchased at the discounted price of just $9.95 – a significant saving of up to $6.00.

Stamp_Coin_Cover_Sale

Issued by Australia Post, each Stamp and Coin Cover includes a commemorative Australian coin designed and struck by The Perth Mint.

Don’t miss this opportunity to secure your choice of these superbly designed Stamp and Coin Covers while stock last!

This promotion is available exclusively from The Perth Mint between 7 and 24 May 2013.

Full list:

POST A COMMENT

May 2013 New Product Bulletin – out today

 Posted by  Catalogue, Gold, Silver
May 072013
 

This month is nothing short of gigantic in terms of new coin releases.

In gold, we unveil the long-awaited new design for our annual Australian Sovereign, and capture the excitement of the FIFA World Cup™ on our official Australian commemorative.

There’s also a stunning line-up of new silver collectables. Forest Babies depicts absolutely gorgeous images of playful young animals. The Rainbow Lorikeet is vividly portrayed on the fourth release from Birds of Australia, and talking of feathered friends, the high relief version of our 2013 Australian Kookaburra also looks amazing. Treasures of the World kicks off this month with a locket coin featuring loose garnets, and there’s also two special releases for Australian note and stamp collectors!

You can peruse these and more new releases at your leisure in this month’s electronic bulletin, or visit the recent releases section on our website.

POST A COMMENT

 Older Entries