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The reality is the photographs - and the close up shot of the crown - will do most of the talking on this superb good Very Fine 1930 Penny. With a full central diamond and the smudging of the seventh and eighth pearl, this coin is four to five grades higher than those 1930 Pennies most frequently sighted. We rate this coin as being in the top 3 per cent. (See pie chart attached.) Already have a 1930 Penny? Then consider a trade and upgrade your coin.

There are five 1930 Pennies that stand out from the rest, acknowledged as being the absolute finest examples of Australia’s favourite copper rarity. And this coin is one of them. Waiting lists are the norm for a 1930 Penny at this quality level.

This is an extremely rare Holey Dollar, struck by Canada’s Prince Edward Island, and is one of seventy nine (79) known specimens. While Governor Lachlan Macquarie was coining his Holey Dollars and Dumps in Sydney, a similar scheme was unfolding across the other side of the globe in Prince Edward Island, Canada. In 1813 the Island’s Lieutenant Governor, Charles Douglass Smith, created an internal currency for the British colony by cutting and over stamping 1000 Spanish Silver Dollars. The silver dollars were holed and over stamped with a circle with ten teeth like projections positioned (partially) on the King’s forehead.

The Bank of Victoria was founded by Dr Thomas Black, a physician from the Richmond area of Melbourne. The bank was registered in Victoria in 1852 and commenced operations in January 1853 as the Bank of Victoria Limited. By 1887 the bank had 65 branches, all in Victoria. The Bank of Victoria amalgamated with the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney Limited in 1927 and eventually became part of the National Bank of Australia in 1981. Archived for more than a century by London engravers and printers Bradbury & Wilkinson, this high denomination colonial note retains its original characteristics and colour unaffected by the passing of time.

The London Chartered Bank was formed in London in 1852 and one year later established branches in both Melbourne and Sydney. In 1882, the bank opened a Brisbane branch. During the financial crisis of 1893 this revered establishment was forced to suspend its payments but only for four months, later re-opening its doors. The London Chartered Bank of Australia lives on through its subsequent mergers. In 1921 the bank merged with the English, Scottish and Australian Bank (ES&A) which in turn amalgamated with the ANZ in 1970. The note has an original crispness in its paper and vibrant colours that defies time.

The 1921 Square Pennies are the most accessible - and affordable – coins in the entire Square Penny series. There is no suggestion here that the 1921 Square Pennies are available at the drop of a hat. Perhaps twenty Type 11 Square Pennies are known, which for the buyer translates into a waiting time of up to a year for an example to become available. (Compare that to the 1930 Penny where 1500 to 2000 are believed to exist.)

The 1855 Sydney Mint Half Sovereign has a unique status as Australia’s very first half sovereign - struck at the nation’s first mint, the Sydney Mint. The coin is amazingly rare. Less than fifty examples are known today and let’s be clear on this point. That’s not fifty at each quality level. That’s fifty across all quality levels. (To put this figure into perspective, the industry estimates that 1500 to 2000 1930 Pennies, across all quality levels, are known.)

The State Library of New South Wales, confirms through its archival documents the extreme rarity of this 1926 Specimen Sovereign. The Library also confirms the coin’s importance and ceremonious origins. The coin was struck on the 11 August 1926 - the very last day of operation of the Sydney Mint - in a ceremony attended by numismatic luminaries such as Mr A M Le Souef and Sir William Dixson.

The 1813 Dump and its partner, the Holey Dollar, were the first coins struck in Australia. Not only are they very rare, but their fascinating history has made them two of the world’s most famous coins. This 1813 Dump is a premium quality piece. Presented in a quality level of good Very Fine it is ranked in the top eight per cent of known surviving examples and is definitely one to tuck away for the future.

We are the only company to have handled all of the design types and the metals that make up the Square Penny series. And we have seen the full spectrum of qualities from the absolute best down to the very poorest. And this 1920 Type 7 Square Penny is amongst the very best. Acquired in 1995 by a Melbourne collector, the coin has been stored in a bank vault since the day it was bought.

The 1855 Sydney Mint Sovereign is the one coin that has pride of place in every sovereign collection. As Australia’s first gold sovereign minted at the Sydney Mint - the nation’s very first mint - it brings to any collection a wonderful and everlasting history. But the 1855 Sydney Mint sovereign offers more than history. In the quality level offered here it also is extremely rare.

This 1937 Proof Shilling is a coin fit for royalty. Literally. It is unique in private hands. The only other known example was struck for George VI and is housed in the Royal Coin Collection housed at Windsor Castle. Only a person of influence would ever have had access to such a striking. No surprise therefore that the original owner was Sir Robert Johnson, Deputy Mint Master of the Royal Mint London.

Eighty years (1937 – 2017) have elapsed since the Melbourne Mint issued the 1937 Crown. While one million coins were released into circulation, only 100 coins were struck to proof quality as collector pieces to gift to dignitaries and sell to the collecting public. This coin is one of the finest examples out of the original mintage of 100 Proof Crowns, a superb FDC example with unblemished mirror fields contrasting a deeply etched design.

This coin is of the highest rarity and for three very basic reasons. The first is the inclusion of the word ‘proof’ in its description which indicates that this coin was struck as a collector piece – and was not struck for circulation. The second is the date ‘1927’. In terms of proof pennies, ‘1927’ is the rare one. The third defining aspect of this coin is its quality. It is one of the very best with much original copper brilliance.

This 1897 Proof Half Sovereign is a prized collector piece. We have traced its provenance back to the year in which it was struck when it became the property of wealthy London businessman John G Murdoch. History records that Murdoch, an avid collector, financed the striking of the proof half sovereigns in 1897 at the Melbourne Mint. Three were believed struck, each coin featuring the Veiled Head portrait of Queen Victoria. This coin, is to our knowledge, the only example out of the original mintage to be sighted on the open market.

This 1872 Sovereign is pivotal to Australia’s gold coin history for it represents the very first year of sovereign production at the Melbourne Mint and depicts the Young Head design of Queen Victoria with the St George reverse. Not only the first year of production at the mint in Melbourne, but this coin has the lowest recorded mintage of the entire Young Head Shield series, from both the Sydney and Melbourne Mint. (History records that the dies dated 1872 did not reach the Melbourne Mint until April of that year.)

This 1897 Sydney Mint Half Sovereign is the absolute finest of its year. That’s not only our opinion, it also was the opinion of the Auction House when it was offered for sale in November 2007. A fiercely contested bidding war saw the coin sell for 50 per cent above its pre-auction estimate of $10,000. Gem Uncirculated is the highest quality level that a collector can aspire to and it is very rarely ever seen, particularly amongst gold coins.

We have been trying to secure a Holey Dollar below the $ 75,000 level for at least twelve months. The coin had to conform to our selection protocols. And meet our price expectations. The combination proved very difficult to find … until now. This coin fits the bill and will make owning a Holey Dollar a reality for one collector.

This Holey Dollar was struck from a Spanish Silver Dollar that was minted in 1803 and depicts the portrait and legend of Charles IIII. The original silver dollar is graded Good Very Fine and has uniformly toned to a glorious, soft gun-metal blue grey. The surfaces are smooth and there is original lustre in the legend Carolus IIII. The counter-stamps New South Wales, 1813 and Five Shillings are of an exceptional nature: the lettering highlighted by original golden lustre and beautiful colours. The technical grading of the counter-stamps is Extremely Fine.

This 1868 Sydney Mint Sovereign is a remarkable piece of colonial history. The coin was issued at Australia’s first mint, the Sydney Mint nearly 150 years ago yet it looks like it was plucked off the production line yesterday. The design imparted a uniquely Australian flavour into the nation’s first official gold coinage, a young Queen Victoria wearing a sprig of native banksia in her hair. And the word AUSTRALIA appearing on the reverse. And while this may seem trite … ‘Australia’ only appeared on Australia’s sovereigns between 1855 and 1870 making the Sydney Mint design one of the most innovative and important in Australia’s sovereign history.

When Melbourne journalist Anthony Black asked Coinworks to list ten coin rarities that were priced below $ 10,000 - and were destined for growth – the Perth Mint proofs struck between 1957 and 1963 were high on our list. Coins such as this 1963 Proof Penny and Halfpenny would have been amongst them. Priced at a level that attracts inordinate buyer interest and it is the demand coupled with the extreme scarcity of quality examples that will ultimately deliver capital growth. These are limited edition collector coins: a popular choice amongst our clients, in particular those that are looking to tuck away something truly special for children or grandchildren.

When Melbourne journalist Anthony Black asked Coinworks to list ten coin rarities that were priced below $ 10,000 - and were destined for growth – the Perth Mint proofs struck between 1957 and 1963 were high on our list. Coins such as this 1957, 1958 and 1959 Perth Mint Proof Penny would have been amongst them. And while we are offering the coins as a trio, you can take your pick and acquire just one, two or all three of the coins. The price of each coin is $ 3500. Or $ 9500 for the trio.