The Diamond & Pearl 1930 Penny

With most 1930 Pennies you will see the description. Part or full central diamond. Five or six pearls.

Notice ... hardly anyone mentions the very elusive seventh and eighth pearl.

And yet, the 1930 Penny was struck with a full central diamond and eight pearls perched above the lower band of the crown.

The reasons for the absence of the seventh and eighth pearls are twofold.

1.    The seventh and eighth pearls are one of the high points of the design and therefore the first area to sustain wear during circulation.
 
2.    The 1930 Penny circulated at least ten years before its existence was discovered.

The obverse of this 1930 Penny has:

• A full central diamond that leaps out and knocks you in the eye.
• Eight clear pearls in the crown. The seventh and eight pearls to the left of the central diamond on the King’s Crown is one of the first areas to wear during circulation.
• An intact oval to the left of the central diamond.
• Undamaged edges.
• Undamaged fields that are glossy and smooth with even chocolate brown toning.
• Minimal wear to the eyebrow and upper ear of the portrait of George V.
• An intact lower band on the Crown.
   

The reverse of this 1930 Penny is equally impressive with:

• Well-defined upper and lower scrolls and crisp well defined inner beading.
• Unblemished edges and amazingly smooth fields.

And while all the information detailed in the bullet points may seem very technical … it is the complete and strong central diamond, the complete lower band and the seventh and eighth pearls that places this coin in a league of its own.

And justifies the supreme quality level of Extremely Fine.

The pie chart below, and in particular the area shown in grey, clearly shows the extreme scarcity of a 1930 Penny at this quality level.