The people’s Australian silver coins - Sixpence
Posted on Oct 27, 2008 under australian silver coins |The second denomination of pre decimal Australian silver coins is the sixpence. Besides the penny, this is the pre decimal coin I am most familiar with. It’s the one that sometimes turned up under my grandmother’s sofa cushions, in the bottom of her drawers or in the little boxes of bits and pieces I loved searching through as a child.
Perhaps interconnected with its extensive usage in its day, the sixpence is now one of the most widely collected Australian silver coins. Not only does it appear more often for sale, it is generally one of the more affordable coins for collectors to acquire.
This coin was issued in Australia between 1910 and 1963. It too saw the reigns of Kings Edward VII, George V, George VI and Queen Elizabeth II with each of their portraits appearing on the obverse at various periods.
Unlike many Australian coins, the reverse of the sixpence presented the Australian Coat of Arms for its entire circulation.
Similarly to the smallest Australian silver coin - the threepence - the sixpence was manufactured at a variety of mints around the world. From 1910 to 1914 the coin was exclusively produced in London. Then in 1915 the Birmingham Mint joined the process. Production was moved to Melbourne Mint in 1916 where the Australian sixpence was exclusively minted until 1920. As with the three pence, the sixpence was also struck at Sydney Mint from 1921 to 1926. From 1927 Melbourne Mint again took over sole production. The exceptions to this were during WWII, when some coins were produced in the USA (San Diego and Denver Mints) and again in 1951 during Australia’s “boom” years where some sixpence were struck at the London Mint.
Some sixpence carry distinguishing marks on their reverse from the mint they were struck: an “M” for those minted in Melbourne from 1916 to 1920; “S” for those minted in San Diego from 1942 - 1944; “D” for those minted in Denver in 1942 and 1943; and “PL” for those minted in London in 1951 (see the picutre above).
As with other Australian silver coins the silver content of the sixpence was reduced in 1946 from 92.5% to 50% in order to provide one of the means for the government to pay off some of the WWII debt.
The quality of the sixpence is generally better than the three pence. Because of its larger size, the dies for producing the sixpence were not as difficult to make and maintain. However, the quality of the coin did deteriorate during the war as costs were cut in the production process.
As a new collector of Australian silver coins the sixpence might be the ideal choice to start with. It is reasonably common, good quality coins are available and the price is generally not out of reach. Why not start your sixpence hunt today?
Photo: Image:Australian 1951 sixpence.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
