Mintage:1,113,600 Approximately 15,000 coins struck Mint:MelbourneMonarch:George VReverse Designer:W. H. J. BlakemoreObverse Designer:Sir E. B. MacKennelSize:25.5mmWeight:5.67gEdge:PlainComposition:97% Copper 2.5% Zinc 0.5% Tin
Values
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The 1923 half penny is the key date for the entire half penny series and represents the toughest
financial challenge the half penny collector will face. The coin is desirable in all conditions with pitted and worn examples
finding their place in budget half penny collections and pieces in AU50 or better often ending up in mid-range to high-end
investment portfolios. While the 1923 half penny has a reasonably sizeable
mintage
of 1,113,600 coins being struck at the Sydney mint, these were
dated 1922 and the 1923
mintage
was actually struck at the Melbourne mint with a requested total
of 480,000 coins
(Sterling & Currency, 2008)
. Despite this still relatively high
mintage, only two
dies
were prepared for the Melbourne mint which should have been enough
to strike about 150,000 coins but both
dies
formed cracks during the striking limiting the total
mintage
to a much lower figure. This was the first time the Melbourne mint
attempted to strike half pennies and faults were bound to occur.
Obverse die cracks of a 1923 half penny
Die cracks typically form around the left side of the
obverselegend
with pieces struck from a later
die
state tending to form cracks around the right side of both the
obverse and reverselegend.
Reverse die cracks of a 1923 half penny
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