The Crown, although not forming a large part of Australia’s coinage, did play a part. The worlds first crown sized coin was minted in Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic, in 1484 and was made from silver. Coins of this size and metal have been minted all over the world and have proved popular amongst collectors as they are reasonably common and, because of their size,  allow collectors to see the detail of the coin that is often too small to see on smaller coins.

The name crown was adapted from French coins issued around 1340 called denier a la couronne. These coins featured large crowns on the reverse. The first British crown was issued by Henry VIII in 1544. It featured a shield topped with a large crown on the obverse and a double rose topped with a large crown on the reverse. The coin was minted in Gold and had a value of five shillings. This coin was commonly referred to as the Crown of the Double Rose. The gold content of this coin was interesting as it was the first coin issued in 22 carat gold, with previous coins issued in 23 carat. After this issue, 22 carat gold became the new British standard. Gold crowns were issued till 1662 when all gold coins were replaced by new coins termed guineas.

Silver crowns were first produced in 1551 under Edward VI. It was one of the first British coins to bear a date and since then also became the largest regularly minted coin in Britain. The coin shown on the left is the 1676 issue crown. The last general circulation crown in Britain was produced in 1911. Production ceased until 1927 when collector crowns were produced. Crowns were produced only to commemorate special evens such as the silver jubilee of George V in 1935 and the coronations of George VI in 1937 and Elizabeth II in 1953. The coins minted from 1937 were made from cupro-nickel.

Decimalisation saw the crown revalued from 5 shillings to 25 new pence in 1971. The coins were minted to this value from 1972 through to 1981. 1990 saw Britain mint a new coin valued at 5 pound also termed a Crown.

Australian produced crowns form an unusual part of numinastics history. Australia has only produced two crowns, that being the 1937 and 1938 coins. The 1937 crown was originally issued as a one off commemorative to celebrate the crowning of GeorgeVI.  History shows there was however a small issue in 1938. The public did not like the coin, mainly due to its’ size, so the coin was put on the back burner. Due to a rise in the silver price in the early 1960’s the coin did become popular – not as legal tender, but to be melted down. It is estimated that out of the 1.1 million crowns minted over the two years of production only 500,000 or less survived till the changeover to decimal currency. This was either due to government pulling the coins from circulation (it is estimated the government melted down 400,000 for the silver) or entrepreneurs cashing in on the rising silver price.

The coins can be described as attractive coins, showing well defined features and large clear surface space. Because of their size, detail on the coin is very easy to see. The downsize of the coins size is that the surface of the coin is prone to marking. This makes trouble free coins slightly hard to come by.

The series is obviously an easy series to collect as there are only two coins. The 1937 coin is the more abundant of the two and is easily obtainable in reasonable grades. Uncirculated coins are not uncommon and are obtainable for around the $150 mark. Choice coins however are scarce due to the fact that marks often appear on the large surface area that maybe less evident on smaller coins such as threepences. The 1938 crown, although not unobtainable, is scarce. Coins generally start at $50 for low grade examples and push $700 dollars for an uncirculated coin. 

The crown may have only formed a small part of Australia’s numinastic history but is still an interesting coin a collector. The fact that only two coins were produced makes it an easy series to collect and a good quality 1938 crown is a reasonable investment, should make this series a must for the collector.

References

Coins of England and Great Britain  http://www.tclayton.demon.co.uk/onesh.html

Guy Clarke Ancient Coins http://www.ancient-art.com/medieval.htm

McDonald G, Collecting and Investing in Australian Coins and Banknotes, 2nd Ed. (Sydney: 1991).

Myatt B & Hanley T, Australian Coins, Notes and Medals, Castle Books (Melbourne: 1982).

Robert G Lilley Ancient and Medieval Coins http://www.newwave.net/~lilcoins

Wikipedia http://www.wikipedia.org

The exploration of central Australia has been one of the topics on the curriculum of Australian school kids for over 30 years. Once exploration occurs settlement is inevitable. Settlement means transport infrastructure is needed. Early transport systems through central Australia consisted of Afghan camel teams to transport goods from Adelaide to Alice Springs. This was eventually replaced by a rail link commonly termed as the Ghan.

This year saw the rail link continued through to Darwin after decades of thought, planning and construction. To celebrate this event, the mint will release a $5 silver proof coin. The coin not only celebrates a piece of transport history, but celebrates one of the greatest train journeys of the world.

The coin has a modern feel to it, showing railway tracks leave Darwin and Adelaide and meeting in the distance. This has been overlaid a stylized map of Australia with the final touch a train coming from the distance. Overall it is a great looking coin. The mint announced on the day of the the release of the "Mint Issue" that the coin is limited to one per person. This has confirmed my early thoughts that this limited edition (12500) coin would be popular. It is therefore a must for the investor.  This will be one I will be getting for my collection.