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Australian Shillings

1942 Australian Silver Shilling

Sterling Silver
In 1942 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 literaly caused Australia to run out of coins, the Melbourne Mint could not keep up with the demand.

Australia recieved assistance from the San Fransico 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
2,920,000

Collectors should consider acquiring most of the King George VI series in Choice Uncirculated or better coins, these are still affordable with the greatest possible upside.
The George VI obverse is very difficult to grade, the rounded features, lower relief and the large variation to the degree in which this design is struck all add up quite a challenge.
When looking at the Ram's head reverse the points to look at are:
  • The ram's forehead,
  • The nose,
  • The tip of the right horn,
  • The whole coin should be considered when grading including lustre, the fields, denticles and rim condition.
  • A weak strike shows in the lack of definition in the wool on the forehead and the first bulge under the chin, the forehead can even appear to be flat, there may also be a lack of definition in the horns.

Specifications
Composition: .925 silver
Silver Content: 0.1680 oz
Edge: Reeded
Weight: 5.65 grams
Size: 23.5 mm
Obverse: Thomas H Paget
Reverse: George Kruger Gray

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