? The Kangaroo design continued into this type right until the introduction of decimal currency with the conclusion of the half penny series in 1964. This type features a slightly reworded obverse legend, ELIZABETH II DEI GRATIA REGINA F:D , after public outcry that the previous type omitted FIDEI DEF . All dates in the series are easy to acquire in mint state, although the Perth mint issues from 1960 to 1964 are very difficult to find in higher mint state grades due to poor strikes ...
? The Type I two cent was issued from 1966 to 1984 with an additional proof striking in silver in 2006 as part of the 40th anniversary of decimal coinage set. It features Stuart Devlin's iconic frilled neck lizard design on the reverse, and the Arnold Machin effigy of her majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, on the obverse. The initials of Stuart Devlin can be found beneath the lizard on all pieces except for a number of 'Sans SD' pieces issued in 1967, 1968, and 1981 . ...
? The 1942-S Shilling was struck at the San Francisco Mint with a total mintage of 4,000,000. In the same year an additional 1,380,000 pieces were struck at the Melbourne Mint. The San Francisco type can be differentiated from the Melbourne by a small 'S' mint-mark located below the ram on the reverse design . The large mintage means that the type is usually affordable even into mint-state. San Francisco 'S' mint-mark on the reverse of a 1942-S Shilling. ...
? The 1856 Sydney Mint Half Sovereign is the only affordable date of the Type I series with a sizable mintage of 478,000. It is readily available in lower grades with a number of AU or better graded pieces surfacing from the India hoard and from the Reserve Bank of Australia holdings . Due to these hoards of genuinely high grade pieces, the 1856 has not appreciated in value over the past decade with many present-day realisations of high grade pieces inline ...
? The Sydney Mint struck 558,500 half sovereigns in 1863, the highest mintage of any Sydney Mint half sovereign but mint records indicate that none were struck in 1862 , despite half sovereigns dated 1862 certainly being known. It is most likely that many of the half sovereigns struck in 1863 were actually struck from 1862 dies which would seem to support the relative rarity of the 1863. The 1863 is probably the third or fourth scarcest date in the wreathed bust ...
