The 1930 Australian Penny is the coin that was never meant to have been struck.

The penny was first minted in 1911 and featured the crowned portrait of King George V on one side and on the other, a heavy circular beaded border with ONE PENNY and two scrolls inside, and the words COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA and the date on the outside.

The first pennies were struck in London, with assistance in the first decade from Birmingham and Calcutta. From 1919 however, production was taken over by the Melbourne Mint, with assistance from Sydney in the era 1920 until it closed in 1926.

The Great Depression caused a downturn in economic activity and a correspondingly smaller call for coins in circulation. The penny had been minted in large quantities in the years 1927, 1928 and 1929 and so it was decided not to strike further pennies for circulation in 1930. 

However, by the time this decision was taken some dies dated 1930 had already been made and testing was taking place at the Melbourne Mint. It is thought that only a few thousand were struck as part of this testing process, which then became added to the coins released in 1931.

In fact, it was not even known to exist until ten years later - but once the 1930 penny was identified it became Australia’s “back pocket bonanza” and has remained the most sought-after coin in the Australian series since. 

The Bradford Mint has just one of these great rarity available for you to own, so don’t delay and contact us now for more detail.