Arrows indicate the high points of Australian 1/2 Pennies and Pennies minted between 1910 and 1936.
Arrows indicate the high points of Australian 1/2 Pennies and
Pennies minted between 1910 and 1936.
The first signs of obverse wear are seen on the monarch’s crown band
because it is the highest part of the design.
The centre piece of the design known as the centre diamond is the first point
you should look to in determining wear. The amount of wear extends from the
centre diamond to the 2 sets of pearls located either side of the centre
diamond. Next you should look at the end of the moustache and the top of the
ear.
The first signs of reverse wear are the inner ring and the top scroll.
Whilst the above
seems very simple and straight forward there are a few other things to take into
account when considering wear.
Because we don't have hard, flat fingers, the wear on a coin will not be
confined to the high points but will cover all features of the design to varying
degrees, also the high points will not wear flat, they will wear by rounding
down.
As an example, if you were handling the above pictured 1911 penny your thumb or
fingers would not touch the reverse inner ring and top scroll only, but would
touch most parts of the surface except some of the finer areas between the
design features and would therefore cause some form of wear to all parts of the
design.
So, as well as looking at the high points you also need to look at the
coin overall.
A common part of coin handling is placing them on a counter, table or other
similar hard surface and being dragged across the same surface as they are
counted and or gathered up. This type of handling will cause flat wear from the
high points down.
A weak strike can
be difficult to grade so here are some tips that might make it a bit easier.
Obviously the high points will lose definition and lack sharpness. The rim
denticles and crown patterns will lose definition as well as a weakness in the
collar just under the chin. The orb on the crown also flattens out as the die
wears.
You need look at the fields (the flat areas) of the design because even light
handling can show up in the fields as tiny surface scratches. The coin
may be uncirculated so you can also look for patina and mint lustre. Be aware that
the toning on a coin can hide very light handling marks.
The first point on the obverse that indicates wear is the hair above the ear where the design has a slight bulge and the cheek below the eye. Other areas to look at are the top of the ear and the eyebrow.
The reverse points to look at are the kangaroo's cheek, 2 points on the leg and the tail about 3/4's of the way down.
This design is a lot harder to grade
as most of the design has rounded features, unlike the George V coins with all
their sharp bits. It becomes even more difficult when dealing with weakly struck
coins.
On the obverse you need to concentrate on the definition in the hair, the top of
the ear and the fields to look for wear and surface marks. Unlike the George V
coins where you can basically grade on a couple of points, you need to take more
time and look at the whole surface of the George VI coins in order to get a
grade. On the reverse the Kangaroo's cheek flattens out and starts to take away
the definition of the eye including a flattening of the eye brow. Once again you need to
look at the fields as well as the design for scratches and other handling
indicators.
An interesting thought to consider is why 1/2 pennies and pennies from the period 1928 to 1936 are generally found in better condition than the same coins from the period 1938 to 1946. There was a depression in the early thirties and a lot of people had no money, a lot of people worked for food and lodging, where as in the mid to late 1940's with the 2nd world war boosting industry, employment and bringing a lot of visitors to our shores would have meant our coins had a heavier circulation. Also from the early 1940's till production ended in 1964 there were more coins minted and the dies were kept in service longer making weak strikes more common with the George VI coins than with the George V coins.
You can apply the same grading rules to this type as with the previous George VI type
The high points are the hair and
shoulder but once again the whole coin has to be looked at.
A weak strike will show in a lack of definition in the shoulder, hair, wreath and
the back of the eye. The reverse is the same as the George VI coins and should
be graded using the same method.
There is no substitute for practice and experience so the more coins you can look at the better. With this type of coin it is possible to buy bulk lots reasonably cheaply (around $10 to $12 per kilo) which will get you around 105 pennies or 172 1/2 pennies with which to help you learn. Try to get a good cross section of types and grades in your bulk lot.