Commonwealth of Australia 1930 Penny, a superb example of Australia's most sought after copper rarity with an almost full central diamond and six plump pearls


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Commonwealth of Australia 1930 Penny, a superb example of Australia's most sought after copper rarity with an almost full central diamond and six plump pearls
COIN
Commonwealth of Australia 1930 Penny, a superb example of Australia's most sought after copper rarity with an almost full central diamond and six plump pearls
PRICE
$40,000
STATUS
SOLD 11/11/2025
QUALITY
Nearly Very Fine / Very Fine
PROVENANCE
Sale by private treaty 2001 to Beverley and Alan Long
COMMENTS

This is an impressive 1930 Penny. We note it’s been almost a year since we last offered one of this calibre. And at this price. The coin is elegant. The coin has finesse and is for the collector that has been sitting back waiting for the ‘right’ 1930 Penny to come along. It is an exciting 1930 Penny, for the exceptional quality traits it possesses. The reverse is graded Very Fine, the coin having crisp upper and lower scrolls, well-defined inner beading, strong legend and strong date. The obverse is graded Nearly Very Fine with an almost full central diamond and six plump pearls. We also note the years of usage have treated it very, very kindly. It is an original, intact, well struck 1930 Penny with glossy fields and minimal signs of usage. The past fifty-plus years in the business have taught us that you do not see 1930 Pennies like this every day. Or every month. Or every year for that matter!

Enquire now

There are three basic steps involved when examining a 1930 Penny. 

The first step is to look at the coin in the flesh using just the naked eye. A truly great coin will always look good to the unaided eye. And this coin is very impressive!

On the reverse, the upper and lower scrolls are strong and well defined. The inner beading which is invariably weakly struck between the 4 o'clock and 6 o'clock area is also well defined. The legend 'COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA' and date '1930' are powerful. Moving the obverse through the light you see the complete lower band of the crown. You also observe the strong design details of the monarch's robes. We also comment the handsome chocolate brown toning on both obverse and reverse and the edges which are solid. 

The second step is to take up a magnifying glass and examine the coin in detail. The eye glass re-confirms what we have seen to the naked eye and much, much more. We have graded this coin Nearly Very Fine on the obverse which indicates that there are nearly four sides of the central diamond and six crisp pearls. The oval to the left of the central diamond is almost intact. The reverse is graded Very Fine. The coin has minimal marks in the fields and no unsightly gouges.

The final step is to re-visit the coin with the naked eye. Just to make sure that you have taken everything in. Start with the edges and work your way in, the inner beading, upper and lower scrolls, fields. And on the obverse, start with the edges, then the portrait and the fields.

The final assessment of this 1930 Penny confirms that it is a great coin and passes our three-point assessment with flying colours.

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A simply fabulous 1930 Penny, with a very impressive reverse

109219-107627-1930-Penny-OBV-TECH-October-2025

A simply fabulous 1930 Penny with  an equally impressive obverse

There are many reasons why collectors love the 1930 Penny and one of the prime reasons is its financial reliability.

It is a solid coin. And this genuinely counts. In fact, we would go one step further and say that over the long term the 1930 Penny has probably been one of our most consistent and trustworthy numismatic performers.

The second reason is that the 1930 Penny is as Australian as you can get. Struck during the Great Depression, the 1930 Penny is the nation’s glamour coin and is unrivalled for popularity, enjoying a constant stream of demand unmatched by any other numismatic rarity.

The third reason is that the 1930 Penny is sought after at all quality levels and all dollar levels. It is in many respects an industry phenomenon, for in a market that is quality focused the 1930 Penny is keenly sought irrespective of its quality ranking. And growth over the mid to long term has been significant across all quality levels. Well circulated (Fine) 1930 Pennies were selling for £50 in the 1950s. A decade later, by decimal changeover, the coins were fetching £255 ($510). By 1988, Australia's Bicentenary, a Fine 1930 Penny had reached $6000. The turn of the century saw 1930 Penny prices move to a minimum of $13,000. Twenty years later prices have more than doubled. And with a 100th anniversary just five years away, the push to acquire Australia’s favourite Penny is really on.

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109219-107627-1930-Penny-OBV-TECH-October-2025
109219-107627-1930-Penny-REV-TECH-October-2025
109219-107627-1930-Penny-OBV-TECH-October-2025

Commonwealth of Australia 1930 Penny, a superb example of Australia's most sought after copper rarity with an almost full central diamond and six plump pearls.

Nearly Very Fine / Very Fine 

$40,000

Strong upper and lower scrolls, prominent '1930' date, even chestnut toning, inner beading between 4 and 6 o'çlock strong. The coin stands up to scrutiny under the glass revealing an almost full central diamond and six clear and plump pearls.

The past fifty-plus years in the business has taught us that you do not see 1930 Pennies like this every day. Or every month. Or every year for that matter!

ENQUIRE NOW

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