At our April meeting we decided to mix it up a bit and have a look at coins from “across the ditch” (relative sizes above).

Most of our members had a small collection of NZ coins that were shared around the table. We also talked in more detail about New Zealand coins and the Perth Mint.

New Zealand has a similar coin minting history to Australia moving decimal in 1967. To answer the question where are NZ coins minted does not give the obvious answer. NZ coins since 2006 have been minted by the Royal Canadian Mint when the Reserve Bank of New Zealand decided to outsource for cost efficiency.

NZ coins like Australia have interesting native fauna and historical images on their reverse side. Some examples included: 10 cents – Maori carved mask, $1 features 2 of NZ national symbols, kiwi and ponga/silver fern and $2 Kotuki/White heron.

While NZ went decimal in 1967, it has recently changed its coins sizes. Key differences to Australian coins:-

• NZ coins are generally smaller and lighter, especially the 20c and 50c coins.
• NZ $2 is larger than the $1, whereas it’s the opposite in Australia.
• Materials differ—New Zealand uses plated steel for smaller denominations; Australia uses cupronickel and aluminium-bronze.
• Australian 50c coins are distinctively large and dodecagonal (12-sided), unlike NZ’s round 50c.

Perth Mint: The question often arises as to whether coins produced by the Perth Mint are legal tender. Coins produced by the Perth Mint are considered legal tender in Australia. However, it's important to note that many of these coins are "non-circulating legal tender," meaning they are not intended for everyday transactions. Instead, they are primarily designed for collectors and investors.​

Under the Currency Act 1965, the Australian Government authorizes the Perth Mint to mint coins that are legal tender. These coins must bear the approved effigy of the monarch and are redeemable at their face value at the Reserve Bank of Australia or the relevant mint that produced the coin. However, banks are not legally obligated to redeem them. Perth Mint coins include:-

• Bullion Coins: These include gold, silver, and platinum coins like the Australian Gold Nugget (also known as the Kangaroo) and the Australian Platinum Koala. While they are legal tender, their market value is primarily determined by the precious metal content, which often exceeds their face value.​
• Collector Coins: These are produced in limited editions and often feature intricate designs. An example is the Jewelled Turtle coin, which has a face value of $2,500 but is priced at $269,000 due to its rarity and craftsmanship.

In summary while Perth Mint coins are legal tender, they are typically not used for everyday transactions. Their value is largely driven by factors such as metal content, rarity, and collector demand.

​
Keep noodling.
Doug Smith

​Well, you never know what will happen when you come to Coin Collectors.

Our group was set to have a chat session about ancient Chinese and Roman coins. However, at the last minute our coin gurus Greg and John, both extremely knowledgeable, had to pull out of attending for personal reasons.

The group was however presented with some research (believe it or not from AI Chat GPT) undertaken by Doug on a brief history of Chinese and Roman coins which can be summarized as follows: -

Chinese Coins

• Date back to Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE) (BCE = New terminology ‘Before the Common Era’ – previously ‘BC’ - Before Christ)
• Early Chinese coins were round with a square hole in the middle
• The round shape symbolized the heavens, the square hole represented the earth. This design was rooted in Chinese cosmology.
• Coins often featured inscriptions, indicating the reign of the emperor, name of emperor and sometimes the weight of the coin.
• Ban Liang was a type of coin introduced by Emperor Quin Shi Huang, first emperor of China in 221 BCE.
• Kai Yuan Tong Bao was a famous coin introduced during the Tang Dynasty and widely used throughout China for centuries 618-907 CE (‘In the Common Era’ – previously ‘AD’)

Roman Coins

• Use of Roman coins began around 300 BCE during the Roman Republic though it was influenced by Greek coinage.
• Roman coins were initially a mix of bronze, silver and eventually gold.
• Aes was a term for Roman bronze or copper coins. Initially coins were made of bronze and later of copper alloys.
• Roman coins featured inscriptions on both coin faces. Obverse sides depicted the emperor’s portrait, name and titles. Reverse side depicted various gods, symbols of military victories or other significant events such as the emperor’s achievements.

Chinese and Roman coins were deeply tied to the culture and politics of their respective empires. While both empires used a variety of metals for their coins, China relied heavily on bronze in its early coinage whereas Rome was known for using silver and gold for greater value.

Roman coins were frequently used as propaganda tools to show power and legitimacy of the empire while Chinese coins were seen as symbols of stability and prosperity of the nation. Holes in Chinese coins also allowed them to be strung together.
​
In addition to ancient foreign coins several of our members brought along unique coins from their collections to share with the group including: -

• First issue PNC (Postal Numismatic Cover) number 124 of Centenary of Federation 50 cent proof coin.
• Norfolk Island Australian 3-coin proof set purchased in America and presented in a decorative case.
• American commemorative 2008 silver dollar coin depicting the seventh anniversary of 9/11
• Chinese mint note which was never placed into circulation depicting Chiang Kai-shekia (1st President of Republic of China) because he fled to Taiwan.

Keep noodling,


​Doug Smith

​Our first meeting for 2025 was held on 24th February with 11 members attending from an enrolment of 14.This is an increase on our 2024 membership.

A highlight of our meeting and of particular significance in the numismatic world was a well-known author and coin dealer joining our membership ranks. Greg McDonald has published 29 books on coins and banknotes.

The theme of the February meeting was for members to bring along their favourite coin and speak on why they chose this coin and how it was acquired.

The group was presented with a wide array of beautiful coins, some coloured, some in lovely presentation cases and many minted to celebrate significant events in history.These included: 

• Princess Diana 1999 UK 5 pound (called a Cartwheel)
• St George 1797 Penny
• Paul McCartney 2024 UK 5 Pound
• Bronze Roman coin 4 AD
• Edward 7 Coronation 1902 UK commemorative coin
• English Groat 1843 - equivalent 4 pence: nicknamed a Joey
• Royal Australian Mint 1966 proof set – first proof set of decimal currency
• Perth Mint – famous battles of Australian history 1966 set of 5 cased coins
• Cartwheels - 1797 copper UK 2 pence and one pence:

​​What followed was a Q&A session with Greg where we learnt  :-

• The 2 pence English Cartwheel coin unscrews to form two 1 pence pieces each weighing 1 oz. These coins are particularly unique. Eight of these placed end to end equals 1 foot.
• Peter Craft of Prospect Coins Blacktown NSW is a go to coin dealer for purchasing bulk coins.
• YouTube coin videos of interest include Purple Penny, Heritage Coins and Matt Thompson.

At our last meeting for 2024 we decided to get our “hands dirty”. Well not exactly, but we did get down to some “hands on stuff”, more precisely understanding how coins are graded and then doing some grading. Next to being authentic, correct grading is important when purchasing a coin. Coin grading rates the level of preservation of the coin, not just its eye appeal. It primarily relates to the amount of wear the coin has received during circulation.

Our members learnt there are two grading systems used - ANDA Grading System (Australasian Numismatic Dealers Association Grading System) and PCGS System (Professional Coin Grading Services USA).

ANDA grading is an adjectival standard used for grading Australian coins based on descriptive terminology. The PCGS system is more detailed and incremental in its scoring attributes.

Our “hands on” session saw each member issued with an ANDA grading sheet, two coins and asked to grade their coins. There was much musing as they looked at both sides of their coins using magnifier glasses and squinted eyes. They then exchanged their coins with the person beside them. A comparison of results showed a wide variation of gradings, emphasizing the difficulty of interpreting the grading chart in a consistent manner. The exercise provided a fun way of learning about coin grading.

After a cake and coffee break the group inspected a number of coins offered at our buy/sell/ swap session with some exchanges taking place.

Thank you to our Group members for their active contribution and participation throughout 2024. I have aimed the monthly meeting agenda at coin education, but tried to make it interesting and fun along the way. I know I have enjoyed it and hope I achieved those objectives.

You never know what will turn up at a Coin Collectors' meeting.

At our October meeting we had a new member attend and a U3A member/visitor.

Our theme for October was PNC’s (Postal Numismatic Cover). These are put out by Australia Post and available at Post Offices including Benalla. A PNC is a folder that contains a Royal Australian Mint coin and a first day issue stamp. They are a limited edition, generally around 7000 to 10,000 .The coins and stamp are unique and celebrate national events, famous Australians and milestones of Australian History and are very collectable.

Our members presented PLC’s celebrating 100 years of Scouting; Queen Elizabeth 2 anniversaries, including Platinum Jubilee 2022, 95th birthday in 2021 and 150 years Overland Telegraph Adelaide to Darwin 1872. One of our members had a large folder with numerous PNC with many lovely coins and stamps.

The group viewed a very interesting Youtube video on Bitcoin which explained this mystery cryto currency for beginners.

A surprise item was presented by our U3a guest Hanz in the form of a 6kg meteorite that fell to earth in China in 1566.

I also introduced the group to a brief onscreen demonstration of Chat GPT, a new form of AI. This can help with searching coin information.

Afternoon tea with lamingtons was enjoyed by all (thanks Gary).

​​Our September meeting was one of our best for interaction and hands on learning with much discussion regarding our topic of Australian banknotes.

What was also not well known that bank notes like coins, contain their date of printing. All notes contain individual serial numbers.The first two digits indicate the year the note was printed.  eg. DJ 185536761.indicates 2018. This feature was introduced in 1993.Plastic notes contain a number of dots along the long edge of the note and offset from the clear window to aid the visually impaired. One dot is to denote $5, two dots for $10 up to five dots for $100.

Also of interest was a note (Japanese occupation money) intended to be used following the anticipated invasion of Australia during WW2.

​Check your own notes to also discover these unique and fascinating security features.

Keep noodling!
​

Doug Smith

A keenly awaited session was held at our August meeting where one of our members presented an amazing array finely crafted and colourful medallions.

​Medallions can be loosely described as special minted coin like objects created to document a significant world or country event. They are not legal tender and there is no limited mintage. We saw medallions cast in silver and gold plated, commemorating milestones of British Royalty, Twin Towers 9/11 attack, 1993 Ashes Cricket tour, Beaconsfield Mine Disaster, Port Arthur massacre and Centenary of RAAF 1921 to 2021 to name a few.

​​Not only did we get to view and handle the medallions, but we were also given some interesting facts surrounding the medallions and their history.

While our group is called Coin Collectors with all things coins being our focus, I have expanded our area of interest to include tokens and medallions. A further new focus is the examination of legal tender bank notes. This was our first session with many of our members bringing along both Australian and overseas notes.

Australian bank notes were first printed in 1913-14. All legal tender note printing in Australia is undertaken by Note Printing Australia (NPA) based at Craigieburn on the northern outskirts of Melbourne. NPA is a wholly owned subsidiary of Reserve Bank of Australia. Bank notes have many interesting features including anti counterfeit technology, notable history captured on notes of different eras. We will explore some of these features in future sessions.

Keep noodling...
​
Doug Smith

​At our July meeting we continued with our theme of coin tokens and medallions.
​
Members presented an array of tokens demonstrating their use in times past times and to some extent still in current use.

The most common was a car wash token (still in use in Benalla). Other coin tokens included trade tokens from Canada and tokens used on American Rail travel.

A classic icon is the Brass Razoo. Brass Razoo is an Australian phrase that was first recorded in soldiers' slang in World War I. It is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as "a non-existent coin of trivial value". It is commonly used in the expression I haven't got a brass razoo, meaning the speaker is out of money. 

​On a similar note we also saw a few examples of a Bitcoin.

We were also treated to a large number of visually stunning coin tokens and medallions, celebrating major world events with a focus on the British Monarchy, from one of our avid collectors. The group felt very privileged to be able to view this extraordinary sample from our member’s vast collection.

Coin of the Month featured Royal Australian Mint Paris Olympic Team coloured coins with the King Charles 3 effigy in $1 and $2 denominations. These coins are available at Woolies and Benalla Post office if you are quick.

         7 July – 2024 $2 Coloured Uncirculated Coin - Community
         31 July – 2024 $2 Coloured Uncirculated Coin - Alleaus
         14 August – 2024 $2 Coloured Uncirculated Coin - Olympism
         28th August - 2024 $2 Coloured Uncirculated Coin - Australian Paralympic Team

We also discussed the fact that the use of cash in everyday activity is being rapidly phased out by the Australian Government. This will make coin collecting harder but on the other hand coins that are collectable more valuable.

At our next meeting we will finish off with the theme of medallions, and to add some further variety and interest, we will begin to explore the world of banknotes, a subject we have not previously embraced.

Keep noodling...


Doug Smith

Mysterious token* ... read on ...

​To freshen up our hunger for all things coin related, our June meeting saw the introduction of the broader subject of tokens, medallions and medals. Our group noted and discussed the definitions (below) that showed the similarities and differences to coins.

Coins Usually a piece of metal marked with a device, issued by a government authority, and intended to be used as money. They have an approved mintage, which means there is a limited quantity and display an effigy.

Medallions are similar to coins but they do not feature an effigy on the reverse and are not legal tender. Therefore, there is no limited mintage.

Medals are usually awarded to recognize achievements or honors, often in military, academic, or sports fields. Medallions, however, are larger decorative pieces, often used for ornamental purposes, such as in jewellery or architecture.

Tokens. Coins are universally accepted as legal tender. Acceptance of money tokens depends on custom or legal enactment. They may be accepted only within specific contexts. Top quality Australian tokens are extremely rare and historically, they have commanded similar, if not higher, prices to their rare coin counterparts.

Tokens played an important role in early Australian commerce. Australian businesses had a problem. Officially distributed sovereigns and half sovereigns were all very well, but what could the average person use to buy small items like bread? What could a business use to give them change? The answer was Tokens.

Tokens were issued by individuals and businesses to fill the void left by the extreme shortage of low denomination currency. Most were struck in copper and bronze, nominally as pennies and halfpennies, with a handful of threepences and one shilling piece.

The first tokens manufactured in Australia for general use were for the Tea Stores, owned by Samuel Peek of Samuel Peek & Co. and issued in 1852.

Perhaps the most famous Australian token is the Aborigine Threepence. Struck by Sydney Jewellers Hogarth and Erichsen, This very rare token was the only colonial piece to bear the design of an indigenous person.

After being made illegal in Victoria in 1863, tokens were also banned in New South Wales in 1868. Western Australia became the last state to declare tokens illegal in 1878.

Our members presented a number of tokens, including a 1972 Canadian 25p celebrating QE2 25th wedding anniversary, a 2022 UK 50p with a Charles 3rd effigy, a US $1 gambling chip from a Las Vegas casino.

One member distributed several pages of noted tokens from Rennicks publication of 2002 covering 35 pages of Australian industry tokens, showing how common they were in the 19th century.

Familiar everyday tokens also include Aldi tokens used for shopping trolleys and automatic car wash tokens.

Another member presented a ‘mysterious” token/medal medallion that provoked considerable discussion as to its purpose and origin. (see photos above).  The object appears to have been professionally manufactured and has a kangaroo symbol on one face and an jet fighter aircraft on the other face with the inscription www.airforce.gov.au. If you can help solve this mystery please contact me.

While our focus for our June meeting was tokens, following meetings will explore medallions and medals.

Keep noodling!

​Doug Smith

Six members attended our May meeting, with five apologies.  At the meeting -

• Pat showed us her AFL Essendon Club $1 Coin

• Gary passed around a large number of coins, including 2006 proof set, 2000 Olympic $5 coins, 1994 NZ Commonwealth Games $1, 1980nQueen’s Mother 80th Birthday Crown, 1921 US $1, several UK coins he dug up, 1882 ½ Crown & 1873 1/- he explained that miners hid their coins by vertically burying them in a plot, as well as an UK 1791 ¼ & lastly a 1988 Bicentennial $10, the first of the coloured polymer notes.  He then produced several Max Stern of Melbourne paper advertisements, with 1950/60s prices of coins & commented on how much the prices had increased.

• David then explained what he considered the cheapest way to store your coin collection.  He handed out a number of plastic storage boxes, each with 28 coin holders in which a 2x2 flap would fit. Each holder would hold a years’ worth of each of the denominations, thus segregating each year’s coins.  He then passed around a number of recently obtained coins, namely a 2018 Animals in War Medallion, 6 PNCs, a 2024 Year of the Dragon 50c.

David Lowing
​'Acting Convenor'

Our regular segment COTH (Coin Of The Month) for April was titled – “A foreign coin based on its attractiveness, mintage and condition”.Coin collector members rose to the occasion with this challenge presenting a variety of interesting, mostly foreign coins from:-

• Cooke Islands – triangular shaped $1 and 12 sided $5
• Cooke Islands use NZ currency but also mint their own coins/notes
• Thailand – very attractive 5 baht
• Swedish 1989 proof coin set
• Turkey/Egypt coin sets
• Russian 2014 euro – commemorating 20 year fall of USSR
• Euros are the currency of the European Common Market countries but many mint their own euros
• Mexican centavos and USA 1885 Silver Dollar
• Palestine 1927 2 Mils. The coin obverse (face) features the word Palestine in 3 languages Hebrew, English and Arabic. It was issued during British Mandate 1920 to 1948. The historical Mandate was created by British Foreign Minister Arthur Balfour after WW1 to resettle the Jewish population to the then State of Palestine.

The Group then viewed the RAM (Royal Australian Mint) website to view the difference between a circulated and uncirculated coin. Circulated coins are generally issued by RAM to banks. Uncirculated coins are circulated differently. These coins are the basis of many coin collections. They usually highlight significant Australian people, places and events.Uncirculated coins are made from the same materials as circulated coins but are struck at a slower rate with greater force. This produces a sharper image with clearly defined edges. They are also slightly more polished than circulating coins and are typically packaged in presentation cards.

A coin trivia session followed based on members knowledge of Australian currency pre/post decimal.

​Lastly the Group viewed a number of short YouTube videos from the Coin Collecting and Detecting channel on coin errors and rare coins to collect.

My thanks to David Lowing who ran the March Coin Collectors session during my absence. David’s summary report follows.

Happy noodling!

Doug Smith

Nine attended our March session, with apologies from four.

During the session,

• Frank showed some of his $2 & 50c coins.
• Shirley showed us her 2003 Australian Volunteers 20c coin.
• Peter brought along some of his collection in folders. He also Coin Scoped some of Dianne’s obscure coins.
• Dianne brought along her uncirculated 1945 National Chinese bank notes, they are in pristine condition, in the denominations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 100 & 1000 Yuan.
• This was then followed by a Noodling session. David supplied noodling sheets, pre decimal & decimal. The members brought along their own coins & noodled away. Rupe supplied a number of 50c coins, so he & Frank spent time sorting them out, by and large it appears that everyone learnt something & enjoyed themselves.

​
David Lowing,
'Acting Convenor'                                                       

​Coin collectors met on 26th February for its first meeting of 2024. We welcomed 4 new members and the return of our regulars for a total of 10 attendees.
​
Coin collectors attracts people with varying interests in coins. Our new members have had coin collections left to them and are generally wanting to know more about their value and uniqueness.

Our Show and Tell segment is always of interest as new purchases are tabled. Of particular interest was the presentation of Australian half and full sovereigns dated in the depression years of the 1920s. These belonged to our member’s father who worked/toured abroad and had the coins sewn into his clothing for safe keeping by his mother.

I have also introduced the group to a YouTube site (Google – “100 coin channels”). This an excellent site where there are 100 channels devoted to coin and collecting and include most world coinage. The channels I find most informative regarding Australian Coins include:-

Jags Rocks:  Gumardee Coins: Coin Collecting and Detecting: PJ Coin Capers:
Phil's Finds and Collections: Australia Coins: Perth Mint.

Our group watched a number of YouTube videos on the “Coin Collecting and Detecting” channel. This site provides short videos of generally no longer than 3 minutes and is both informative and entertaining for group participation.

New members were shown how to identify coins using a free app on their phone called Coinoscope. This app takes a photo of your coin and then gives a range of possible origins matching to the coin photographed.

In coming months new members have been encouraged to bring along their coin bags for a  group activity called Noodling. This where the coins are placed on a table and spread out to be looked over by members for interesting finds.

Members were alerted to watch out for the new King Charles III coins now in general circulation.

The Benalla Post Office also carries a regular range of newly issued coins from the Royal Australian Mint,. It’s worth popping in to have a look.

Happy noodling


Doug Smith

​Our November meeting, being the last for 2023, was celebrated in style with Christmas only weeks away, the Coin of the Month was specified as something with a Christmas theme.

One of our members had recently purchased from the Benalla Post office a Royal Australia Mint colored uncirculated 2023 50 cent Christmas coin. The coin design features a stunning five point star in glorious color framed with detailed sprays of leaves flowers and fruit (see photo).

We were also informed from a member’s coin magazine of the legend of Santa Claus according to Turkish tradition originating in the town of Patara, south Turkey, in 1718.

Another member presented a 2015 $2 Canadian coin that depicted QE2 on the obverse. It was commented on that the QE2 effigy was a very poor image of the monarch and far inferior to that on Australian coins.

One of our regular avid collectors displayed two full sets of colored $2 coins, which were very similar but with subtle differences including the Tooth Fairy series and the much sought after 2012 and 2022 red poppy coins.

Also circulated was three beautiful sets of $1 coins in year order from 1984 showing side by side the uncirculated specimen, proof specimen and proof silver coin. A magnificent collection not often seen, with the silver proof coins an absolute standout.

The afternoon was topped off with a cuppa, mince tarts and shortbread biscuits.  Merry Christmas to one and all!

I am looking forward to an exciting 2024 U3a year ahead. There will be some interesting changes including an opportunity for people wanting to evaluate their collections, who are not collectors, to present their collections to one of our monthly meetings to obtain free advice and commentary through the expertise on offer through our membership.

Happy noodling!

​
Doug Smith
Convenor ​

This month we had five members attending.

1. Bill had recently been to the Benalla Post Office, where he was able to purchase the 2023 60th Anniversary of the Bathurst 1000 50c as well as a WW1 medallion of Simpson and his Donkey, 1914-18 Great War Penny and a 2023 Tasmanian Devil $1.
2. Rupe spoke about English coins.
3. Peter showed us his set of the Aussie Big Things, a set of ten $1 coins, depicting the larger-than-life statues, situated in ten towns around Australia. These too can be purchased from AusPost. He also showed us a small Coin Collection Folder, which depicts all the circulated, 1c, 2c, 5c and 10c coins.
4. Frank showed us his collection of 50c coins, starting with a 2002 “Outback, the 1982 Brisbane Commonwealth Games, 1977 QE 2 Silver Jubilee, 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, 1995 International Year of the Family, 2001 Australian Federation Coins, Victoria, Northern Territory and South Australia, 2003 Australian Volunteers, 1981 Charles and Diana’s wedding, 2004 Student designed Australian Fauna and 1995 Weary Dunlop.
5. Finally, David exhibited his collection of Silver Proof 50c coins and spoke about their characteristics.

David Lowing

Our coin/topic of the month for September was about mintmarks on pre-decimal half pennies and pennies. Most of these mintmarks are in the form of small dots generally located on the reverse (non-head side). These mint marks indicate where the coins were minted.

The first Australian penny was minted in 1919 with George V mintmark. The mint location was denoted by a dot on the reverse side of the coin and had three variations:
Melbourne Mint – no dots or dot below bottom scroll
Sydney – dot above top scroll and below bottom scroll
 
Prior to 1919 pennies were minted in (H) Heaton UK 1912 and 1915 only; (I) India Calcutta1916.1917 and 1918 only. The first Australian Penny was minted in 1911 at the Royal Mint London. Pennies with the reverse kangaroo from 1938 (George VI to QE II) to 1964 often had a dot after the word Y or A. denoting the Perth Mint.
 
Data at a glance – Penny
Issued 1911 to 1964: not issued1937 and 1954
Key dates: 1937 very rare, 1930 rare, scarce1920 (not dots) 1925, 1946
 
The first Australian minted halfpenny was in 1923.It’s mintmarks are similar to the penny.
 
Data at a glance – Halfpenny
Issued 1911 to 1964: not issued 1937,1956,1957, 1958
Key dates: 1916 mule very rare, 1923 rare, scarce 1915, 1918, 1939 kangaroo reverse.
 
Have a look through your old stash of half-pennies and pennies, you may be surprised by what you find.

The topic for our October meeting will be the humble 50 cent piece and its various designs and metal compositions and finishes.
 
Happy noodling.
 
Doug Smith ​

Our regular group of six coin collectors were presented with a real challenge with the August Coin of the Month being the most attractive non-circular coin.

Most coins are circular because of ease of production and their shape does not wear holes in clothes pockets. The most common non-circular coin we are familiar with is the Australian 50 cent piece which has 12 sides and called a dodecagon. We were presented by one of our members with a beautiful collection of silver and gold 50 cent coins (see photo below), most of which none of us have ever seem; what a treat!

We were also presented with a number of other non-circular coins including a 7-sided 50 cent piece (heptagon), a 12-sided three pence from the UK and a Hong Kong 12 point scalloped 20 cent piece.

Most of our modern circulating coins are round because a round shape is less likely to wear down unevenly since no one part of it sticks out further than the rest from any angle.

Also, in the days when coin value was assessed by metal type and weight, it was easy to cut off the corners but more difficult to do that with round coins. Milling of the coin edges also limited this practice especially when coins were made of precious metals like gold and silver. Then in the modern world there were vending machines which need coins to roll.

Coin of the Month for September will be “let’s talk about the Australian penny and its dots”.

Doug Smith

Our new segment, Coin of the Month, continues to challenge our Coin Collectors group.

​The July Coin of the Month was to bring along the largest diameter dated circulating coin.

We were presented with an array of large coins including:-

• Persian (Iran) 1925 5 Rial                                     37mm dia
• US 1 Dollar 1891                                                   38.1mm         
• Australian Crown 1937                                          38.5mm
• UK 1980 Queen Mother 80th birthday coin           38.61mm
• Australian $5 2008 Scouts Centenary coin           38.74mm
• Australian $5 1988 CBA celebrating opening        38.74mm

         Parliament House by QE2

• Australian $1 1993 silver kangaroo                       40.60mm
• Comparison Australian 50 cent piece                    31.65 mm

The winner of the largest circulating coin was Australian Crown at 38.5mm. Runner up was the Australian $1 silver kangaroo at 40.60mm, because it was a commemorative coin and not a circulating one.

You would need strong pockets to be carrying these large coins around which were also very heavy. The Crown weighed 28.27gm, Silver $1 kangaroo 31.6gm compared to 50 cent piece at 15.55gm.

A check of the internet shows a number of coins claim to be the biggest in the world. This is Australia’s biggest gold coin but obviously not a circulating one.

The largest gold coin (pictured below) weighs 1,012 kg ,measures 80 cm in diameter, 13 cm in thickness and is made from bullion with a purity of 99.99 per cent. The legal-tender coin was introduced on 9 February 2012 by the Perth Mint (Australia), with a face value of AUS$1 million The coin, called the "1 Tonne Australian Kangaroo" features a Kangaroo and was created to promote Australia's official Kangaroo Gold Bullion Coin series.

We had a good roll up to our June meeting with 6 members present. Our new segment “Coin of the Month” (COTM) is proving popular. All members came along having looked high and low including their sock draws to present their June (COTM) - the smallest dated coin.

We discovered there are many coins worldwide that are considered small. In fact the world’s smallest coin is from Croatia 1 Kuna and measures a minuscule 1.99 mm in diameter. You would need your glasses on to be able to see it. In comparison the Australian pre-decimal three pence was rather large at 16mm in diameter.

Our coin of the month presentations included:

• Swedish 1959 10 Ore (14mm dia)
• Swedish 1964 10 Ore (14mm dia)
• Swedish 1901 10 Ore (14mm dia)
• Australian 5 cents (19.4mm dia)
• Australian 1 cent (17.6mm dia)
• Euro 1 cent (16mm dia)
• Netherlands 10 cents (16mm dia)
• English Groat 4 pence 1843 (16.3 mm dia)
• USA half dine 1857 (15.5 mm dia).

There were three Swedish Ore coins presented all with the smallest diameter of 14mm. The winner was declared as the oldest Ore dated 1901. (See comparison photo 10 Ore beside 5 cents)

The Show and Tell session saw the presentation of various coins including:

• 1980 Queen Mother commemorative coin dated 4 August 1980 celebrating her 80th birthday
• 2002 50 German Euro coin
• 2000 50 cent half dollar
• 2017 UK 1 pound 12 sided coin (dodecagonal)
• 2023 $2 colored Vegeimite series of three coins
• An album of well preserved bank notes from Australia and Asian countries
  

​
The theme for the July COTM will be the largest diameter dated circulating coin (excludes commemorative coins).
​

Doug Smith

This month was a little light on for Membership, with only three members attending.

1. We saw a good collection of Australian & International notes. Au $1, $2, $5, $10 & $20. The $5’s & $10’s covered all four series. International notes from Fiji, China, Poland, Nicaragua, Guagua, Indonesia, Japanese WW2 Dutch Indonesian, Mozambique, Brazil, Ecuador, Bhutan, Zaire, Libya, Argentine & India.
2. 2015 six-coin proof set, with a gold 50c coin & a 2019 50th Anniversary set of the 50c Dodecagon coin, each of the five coins featured a different effigy of Queen Elizabeth.

We then tried something different, Noodling sheets were handed out and a noodling session was held, with $100 worth of 50c coins, with one member having his first experience of Noodling.

David Lowing

We again ran our exclusive Coin Trivia quiz of 8 questions, with a handout answer sheet at the end of the session. The session stimulated further discussion on the answers provided and in doing so fulfills the objective of continuing education for our members in the field of numismatics.

Our show and tell segment was presented with the $2 coloured coin commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War. Also presented was a complete folder of 60 coloured $2 coins covering the first release in 2012 to the present.A very desirable collection envied by coin collectors.

Our Coin of the Month for May will be the smallest size dated coin.


Doug Smith

We had 10 attend our coin collectors group held on 27th March including a new member.
I have introduced two new segments (Coin of the Month and Coin Trivia) to complement our usual Show and Tell session where members present a coin and explain it’s background.

Coin of the Month for March was for members to bring along their oldest dated coin. This yielded some interesting coins and required members to dig deep into their collections. A range of coins presented included

1858 Dutch two and half   
1861 English Queen Victoria
1867 French 50 Francs
1803 East Indies token coin
1799 George 3rd farthing
1858 French 10 francs
1797 English George 3rd penny

The 1797 George 3rd penny (below) was declared the winner and the monthly prize presented to the winner. This coin was called the Cartwheel because of its significant size and weight.

​The oldest recorded coin was 495 BC from Zarkle now Messina Sicily. The earliest Christian era coin was from Denmark dated 1234.

The April Coin of the Month will be – “Most Attractive” - as determined by a vote of those present (with a winner’s prize)
 
Some members of the Group now have the app Coinoscope on their mobile phones. This has  proved very useful in identifying and clarifying the origin of unfamiliar coins.

The Coin Trivia session consisted of eight questions about Australian coins and was designed as a learning/education experience.

1. Why do some coins have milled edges?
1a. What was the first commemorative coin?
2. Why is the 1930 penny so rare?
3. When did the kangaroo appear on the penny and halfpenny and replace the words One Penny and One Half Penny?
4. Why was 50cent 12 sided coin introduced?
5. When were paper one dollar and two dollar paper notes replaced by $1and $2 coins?
6. When were one and two cent coins withdrawn from circulation?
7. Who is on the reverse side of the $2 coin?
8. What influenced size of $2 coin?

Our Show and Tell session presented a set of 28 coins of all Olympics sports from the 2000 Olympics, a7 sided UK 50 cent piece, a 2023 PNC Legacy set with an Australia Post mintmark.

Also presented was a 1998 UK two pound bi metal coin. This coin was unusual with the outer yellow metal nickel-brass ring made from 76% copper, 20%zinc and 4% nickel and an inner steel-coloured cupro-nickel disc made from 75% copper, 25% nickel. Of interest is the inscription around the edge of the coin. The design of the coin traces the story of technology. The edge inscription complements this theme:  Standing On The Shoulders Of Giants. Taken from a letter written by Sir Isaac Newton in 1676 acknowledging the debt he owed to other scientists “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”. Sir Isaac Newton was also Master of the Royal Mint from 1699 to 1727.

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Doug Smith
Convenor

Our first meeting for 2023 was held on Monday 27th February. Coin Collectors is now held on 4th Monday in the month at 1.30pm to 3.30pm.

Our 2022 group made their return as did two new members resulting in 8 people attending on the day.

The group discussed what its aims were for 2023 and agreed the 2022 format of “show and tell” was a key element to the success of the group and should be retained. In addition more use will be made of various coin channels on YouTube, particularly the PJ’s Coin Capers channel. One of our members has been in contact with PJ with the offer and likely acceptance, of coming to Benalla as our group’s guest speaker. PJ ‘s Coin capers has a huge internet following and is something to look forward to. The audience may be broadened to involve other community interest groups, conditional on availability of a meeting venue and insurances.

A large magnifying light will be brought along to meetings for members to see their coins up close.

A coin of the month segment will be introduced that will invite members to bring along their oldest, most unusual, colorful, valuable, ugly, largest, smallest, etc. coin, with the Coin of the Month voted on the day.

The Group agreed that the sessions were about self-education, enjoyment of the hobby and networking to build coin our collections.

Members were reminded that the free mobile phone app Coinoscope was an excellent and quick tool to self-identify your coins, particularly foreign coins.

Discussion was had on sourcing coins for noodling from local banks and that latest releases were often available at Benalla Post Office and on special milestones occasions through Woolworths Benalla.

In our show and tell session, circulated around the table, we saw:-

• Coins from Hong Kong, Norway, India, England, Norway and Saudi Arabia
• Tokens from Wrest Point Casino, Tivoli token Denmark, 1980 Telstra Tower entry token.
• PNC card of Vegemite coins including a colored $1
• 2023 RAM Mint set
• Silver commemorative coins of QE2 and King Charles 3
• Bronze medallion of Walter Burley Griffin (1876 -1937)
• 2022 $2 colored red poppy presented to one of our group for his 75th birthday. Extremely rare as only 66,000 were minted and highly sought after by collectors.

Our next meeting will be on Monday 27th March.


Doug Smith

Coin Collectors met on 21st November with five members in attendance. Pre-Christmas engagements meant a number of our members were apologies.

Excitement of the group centred around the release by RAM (The Royal Australian Mint) of a 2022 colored Remembrance Day $2 poppy coin. The original 2012 $2 coin had a very low mintage of around 0.5M coins. This made it very collectable due to its rarity with the current ebay price anywhere from $400 to $2,000 depending upon condition. The RAM has now minted a limited 2022 version which was to beavailable on line from 3rd November. The demand was that great that their website crashed. The coin will now be available via a RAM ballot closing on 26th November, at the original purchase price of $15. If you were in the ballot and secured a coin consider yourself having acquired a valuable investment.

At our meeting a number of interesting coins were circulated for inspection. These included English coins of the 18/19th century including halfpennies and pennies. Of particular note where the coins covering four English monarchs: Victoria 1, Edward 7th, George 5th and George 6th.

Interesting to note that as the United Kingdom prepares to start issuing coins with His Majesty King Charles III, one might notice a key feature you think would be a staple: the monarch wearing a crown. This isn’t the first time a monarch hasn’t worn a crown on a coin. Previous British kings are known not to wear crowns on coins that feature their portraits.

One of our members visited the Royal Australian Mint Canberra in early November 2022. He purchased the latest $2 colored coin depicting the 75th anniversary of Australian Peacekeepers. He also reported that on the 3rd November that people lined up to purchase the expected release of $2 re poppy coin stretched more than 300 metres.

Our members at the meeting used the app Coinoscope. The app is free and simply by taking a photo of the coin it can identify the coin’s details, particularly useful for foreign coins and those without any legible writing. Once the coin is identified you can put the details into your web browser to see its selling price on ebay.

 
Doug Smith

Coin Collectors met on October 17th, with seven members in attendance including a visitor. I am pleased to say that our visitor, a member of Benalla U3A, got to hear about us through the Newsletter.

As usual there were a number of interesting coins presented to the Group due to their uniqueness, color, condition or rarity.  These included:

• Foreign coins with a central formed hole. Brought along by a number of members, these coins were from PNG and Palestine and characteristically were made from a very light alloy metal. The purpose of the hole was keenly debated.
• A very nice 1986 English proof coin set was sent around the table for viewing.
• A continued flavor of foreign coins saw a two and half cent coin dated 1858 from the Netherlands. Also presented was an Indian 1958 square Rupee.
• A unique coin presented was a 50 cent piece celebrating 75th anniversary of the Australian Signals Directorate. These coins contained a word code stamped into its outer edge.
• A member purchased a PNC 2021 $1 coin celebrating Queen Elizabeth’s 95th Birthday and 2022 $1 coin celebrating The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Both coins are presented with first day issue stamps. These coins purchased in early 2022 from the Benalla Post Office for $17.95 each are now advertised on e-bay from $150 to $200 each.
• A number of very high quality coins were circulated for inspection, contained in individual sealed and marked cases. This is to protect the integrity of the classification. The scale is called the Sheldon Scale with MS70 the highest rating denoting a perfect uncirculated coin.

Our new members are keen to learn about coin collecting and gaining interest in old family coins they have in their possession. The Group has a number of authoritive books on Australian Coins and Notes that can be borrowed.

If you have coins you would like to show the Group or get advice on then we welcome you to join us the third Monday in the month commencing at 1.30pm.

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Doug Smith