1813 Holey Dollar, counter-stamped 'T. Knight'

The counter-stamp T. Knight on Australia’s colonial coins has intrigued historians for more than a century.

And has generated its own strong band of collector followers.

While little is known about the mysterious T. Knight, the fact that seven of the surviving Holey Dollars are counter-stamped with his name leads us to say that whoever he/she was – or whatever he/she did – they must have been a prominent force in the colony.

When William Henshall created this Holey Dollar he picked up a 1798 Charles IV Spanish Silver Dollar that had been struck at the Mexico Mint.

Using crude equipment, he cut a hole in it. He then continued the minting process by over-stamping the inner circular edge of the hole with the words New South Wales, the date 1813 and the value of Five Shillings.

The rarity and significance of the Holey Dollar touches all of its owners. We speak from experience. We have seen it first hand with our clients, the sheer excitement of acquiring a Holey Dollar. You can hear it in their voice. You can see it in their face.

The Holey Dollar is history that you can hold in your hand. It is history that can be passed onto the next generation.

Its status as Australia's first coin ensures that it will never be forgotten and, as time passes, its historical value can only increase.