1813 Holey Dollar

The design details of the original eight Spanish Silver Dollar are clear and the over stamping of the date 1813, News South Wales and its value of Five Shillings is strong and fully legible.

Of significance, the date 1793. Holey Dollars struck from silver dollars minted pre-1800 are far scarcer than those created from silver dollars minted post-1800. 

This coin will make owning a Holey Dollar a reality for one buyer. It is affordable. Conservatively priced, the coin offers excellent buying value.

More than 80,000 convicts were transported to the penal colony of New South Wales over an eighteen-year period. One of the most famous of them all was William Henshall, the emancipated convict charged with the responsibility of creating our very first coins.

When William Henshall created this coin, he picked a 1793 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.

In so doing he created history by becoming Australia’s first mint master and created one of Australia’s greatest coin rarities, the 1813 Holey Dollar.

The rarity and significance of the Holey Dollar touches all 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, history that can be passed to 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.