A Point in History through Rare Pre-Decimal Coins
Rare Pre-Decimal Dates
Apart from the more well-known rare coins in the pre-decimal collection, it is worth to mention other popularized varieties of rare pre-decimals as well.
1932 Florin
The 1932 Florin's low mintage of 188,000 represents a glimpse of the time it was produced; this was during the Great Depression with little need for coins to circulate around in a low demanding economy. The 1932 Florin is the rarest in the series of florin coins and is widely collected in any grade.
1933 Shilling
The 1933 Shilling is another rare coin in the pre-decimal struck at the Melbourne Mint. Its rarity comes from its low mintage of 200,000 reflecting the high unemployment at that time reaching its peak in Australia of thirty-two percent. The Great Depression explains why there was such a limited production of the coin and none was issued in 1932. Moreover, the low mintage of this key date means that it's harder to find the 1933 Shilling in mint condition and when it does appear it is valued at a very high price.
1934-35 Melbourne Centenary Florin
The next rare coin worthy of mention is the Centenary Florin that marks the hundredth anniversary of the state of Victoria in 1834 and the settlement of the city of Melbourne in 1835. This 1934-35 Florin is the scarcest commemorative with a recorded mintage of 75,000 and out of that only 54,000 were sold. The rest of the coins were sent back to Melbourne Mint to remelt. The issuing of this coin, though during the Great Depression, is used to fund for the Melbourne Centenary celebrations.