1935 Proof Penny, a 'commercial' proof issue struck at the Melbourne Mint
A Trans-Tasman connection was alive and kicking when New Zealander, Henry George Williams, financed the striking of a small number of Proof Pennies and Proof Halfpennies in 1935 at the Melbourne Mint. In so doing, Williams unwittingly created an Australian 'numismatic star'. The term 'numismatic star' falls well short in describing this 1935 Proof Penny. Quality-wise it is a 'numismatic superstar', a full brilliant mint red, gem copper proof. The coin first appeared on the market at auction in 2005, its quality unprecedented. Dealers and collectors alike had never seen anything like it before, and the auction sale price smashed all records. The technical shots re-affirm that this coin is, as we have described. Magnificent!
The pride and satisfaction associated with owning a special coin is markedly enhanced with knowledge of both the people associated with its production and previous owners through whose hands it has passed.
New Zealand numismatist, Henry George Williams played a key role in persuading the Melbourne Mint to issue proof coins on a commercial basis in 1935. Williams was captivated by the golden-eye appeal achieved by the Melbourne Mint with their proof coppers and ordered 126 pairs. The majority of pairs were sold into the advanced collector markets in the U.K. and the U.S, the very reason why the coins are so scarce in the Australian market.
That Williams did not request the minting of any proof silver coins in 1935 reflected his personal preference and his insight into the market, that demand for the bronze coins far outweighed that for the silver.
As the photos reveal, the strike detail and the finish of this coin is unsurpassed by any other proofs out of the George V era.
Historical letters confirm that the proofs of 1935 were struck from especially hardened blanks, and were struck twice with fresh dies in the presses. The lack of bag marks is consistent with the coins being made effectively by hand.
Natural attrition has taken its toll on the original mintage and we would expect to see 1935 Proof Penny or a 1935 Proof Halfpenny on the open market, perhaps once every year.
But a "fully brilliant mint red" proof penny? At this quality level, the opportunity might come around once in a collector's lifetime.
1935 Proof Penny,
a full brilliant mint red
1935 Proof Penny,
a full brilliant mint red
With on-line ordering and toll-free phone numbers, buying your favourite collector coin from the Royal Australian Mint has never been easier.
Collectors in the nineteenth and twentieth century however were not afforded the same consideration from the operating mints.
The Sydney Mint opened in 1855 as a branch of the Royal Mint London and closed in 1926. Throughout its entire history, the mint did not strike proofs for collectors on a commercial basis. The Melbourne Mint, Australia’s second coining facility, opened in 1872. During its first forty-four years of operation, the mint did not strike coins for collectors on a commercial basis.
The Melbourne Mint’s first commercial foray for collectors occurred in 1916 when the mint especially created a presentation set to commemorate its inaugural striking of the Commonwealth’s silver coins.
Sadly, for collectors, the 1916 Presentation Set did not set a precedent for further coin issues. Government policy dictated that minting resources be applied to the striking of circulating coins for Treasury, rather than pandering to the whims of collectors through the regular issuing of proofs.
Over the next thirty-eight years, from 1916 to 1953, the Melbourne Mint played ‘cat and mouse’ with collectors by releasing only another seven proof and/or specimen issues. The issues were ad hoc. The mintages inconsistent. The years in which the collector issues occurred were 1916, 1927, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1953. We refer to these eight issues as 'The Collector Coins of the Melbourne Mint, 1916 to 1953’.
They were pivotal in changing Australia's coin collecting landscape in the twentieth century, the pre-cursor to the series taken up by the Royal Australian Mint in 1966.
Proof 1935 Penny struck at the Melbourne Mint
Price $30,000
A gem proof, full brilliant mint red with heavy striations, on both obverse and reverse, reflecting careful preparation of the dies, FDC and extremely rare.
I.A.G. Auction January 2005, lot 346
Proof 1935 Penny struck at the Melbourne Mint
Price $30,000
A gem proof, full brilliant mint red, FDC and extremely rare.
I.A.G. Auction January 2005
Heavy striations, on both obverse and reverse, reflect careful preparation of the dies.
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