In 1936 George VI was crowned King of the United Kingdom following the death of King George V and the abdication of King
Edward VII. After a two year hiatus, the first George VI Florin was issued. It was designed by designed by Thomas H. Paget
and depicts the crown-less King facing left.
The reverse of this type was also new, featuring a modified Australian
Coat of Arms as designed by George Kruger Gray. The new design was released to provide a more striking image and depict all
of the Australian states on the Coat of Arms. The new type was first struck on the 11th of February by Mrs R. G. Casey, the
wife of the Federal Treasurer. The master of the Royal Mint stated that the coin was - "One of the most handsome coins I have ever seen."
(The Argus, 1939)
The 1938 Florin had a mintage of 2,990,000 which was somewhat low for the George VI series. As the first year of the George
VI type it seems likely that the coin was heavily hoarded which would explain why, despite the low mintage, the coin is not
particularly scarce. PCGS has graded over one hundred mint-state examples of which five are MS65. Mint-state examples of
this type are very affordable and easy to source.
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