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Australia George V

1915-H One Penny

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The 1915-H Penny was struck at the Heaton & Sons Mint with a total mintage of 1,320,000. In the same year a further 960,000 pieces were struck at the Royal Mint in London. The Heaton & Sons piece can be differentiated by a small 'H' mint-mark located under the lower scroll on the reverse (see image below). This mintage was relatively low within the wider series and as a result the year is reasonably expensive, particularly within in mint-state.

Heaton & Sons 'H' mint-mark on the reverse of a 1915-H Penny.

After the introduction of Australia's first official coinage in 1911 the demand for coins quickly outstripped the supply by the Royal Mint. This caused a substantial shortage that would intensify and abate for almost a decade. The extraordinary demand for coins can be attributed to larger trends of economic growth as well as smaller events such as the rise of slot machines and penny gas meters. Despite the best efforts of the Royal Mint in London they could not meet demand so they were forced to enlist the assistance of the private mint to Heaton & Sons based in Birmingham on multiple occasions.