1813 Dump struck with the Type A/1 dies

The Dump (and the Holey Dollar) are the nation’s first coins, minted in 1813 by order of Governor Lachlan Macquarie to provide a medium of exchange in the penal colony of New South Wales.

The coins are national treasures and are revered and sought after by collectors the world over.

As Macquarie had no access to metal coin blanks to create his currency, he improvised and acquired 40,000 Spanish Silver Dollars as a substitute for blanks. To make his new coinage unique to the colony he employed emancipated convict William Henshall to cut a hole in each silver dollar, thereby creating two coins out of one.

The holed dollar was over-stamped around the edge of the hole with the date 1813, the value Five Shillings and the issuing authority of New South Wales. It became the illustrious Holey Dollar.

The silver disc that fell out of the hole was not wasted. It was over-stamped with the date 1813, the issuing authority of New South Wales and the value fifteen pence and became the equally illustrious Dump.

While the original intention was to create 40,000 Holey Dollars and 40,000 Dumps from 40,000 silver dollars, spoilage and the despatch of samples back to Great Britain saw a slightly reduced number of Holey Dollars and Dumps - 39,910 of each - released into circulation.

Today there are approximately 800 Dumps available to collectors with perhaps 200 held in museums.

The best thing about the Dump is that each and every coin is different. No two coins are the same.