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.
Happy noodling.
Doug Smith