Australian Florins

1943 San Francisco Silver Florin

Sterling Silver
In 1943 Australia was at war, the Japanese were on our doorstep, England was a country at siege, and the US had (finally) entered the war. The sheer number of well paid US servicemen in Australia literally caused Australia to run out of coins, the Melbourne Mint could not keep up with the demand.
Australia received assistance from the San Francisco Mint in the US, they can be differentiated from this Melbourne issue by a small "S" mintmark on the reverse.
Quality standards had also slipped as there was the more pressing matter of the War. Finding well struck examples can sometimes be difficult for this and all the War years.

Mintage
11,000,000

The coins of George VI face the same way as his father, this is not a break with tradition. It was more correctly an allowance for what might have happened if Edward VIII had coins released bearing his portrait.
Carries the first type of the George VI obverse. This one was used for coins minted between 1938 and 1950.

Points to consider when grading the reverse are:
  • the Emu's back feathers;
  • the shoulder and haunches of the kangaroo;
  • the orb on the crown;
  • the sharpness of details on the denticles, lettering, crown and shield;
  • the rim for dents and nicks;
  • A weak strike will show in the grass and the crown, wattle wreath and the detail of the shield.

Specifications
Composition: .925 silver
Silver Content: 0.3363 oz
Edge: Reeded
Weight: 11.31 grams
Size: 28.5 mm
Obverse: Thomas H Paget
Reverse: George Kruger Gray

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