What Steven Cousley Does

Brief History of the Australian Sixpence Coin

The Australian sixpence series of coins are unusual in that the same reverse design was used for the entire production of the coins between 1910 and 1963. It’s believed only three master dies were used. The sixpence is second only to the florin for popularity among collectors.

The first sixpence coins were struck in London from 1910 – 1914. In 1915 the coins were struck in Both London and Birmingham with the Birmingham coins identifiable by a small “H” mint mark. After this coins were struck in Melbourne until 1920 and carry an “M” as the mint mark. From 1921-1926 both Sydney and Melbourne mints produced coins but there are no identifiable mint marks. From 1927 the coins were struck almost entirely in Melbourne except for a period during WWII and also in 1951. No coins were struck in the years 1929-1933. Denver and San Francisco mints assisted with production in 1942 and can be identified by “D” and “S” mint marks. In 1943, the coins were struck in just the two US mints and in 1944 they were produced only in San Francisco. After this production resumed from Melbourne mint, assisted by the London Mint in 1951. The 1951 London coins have a small “PL” mint mark.

Example Values of the Australian Sixpence

The following prices are for some of the most sought after examples of sixpence coins. Coins minted in other years are also of value, those listed below are simply the “cream of the crop”. These prices are only a guide to possible marketplace values. There will be fluctuations in the actual marketplace. Prices will also vary depending on the condition of the coin. All values are listed in Australian dollars. For more up-to-date information on coin values, please visit the Australian Rare Coin Ready Reckoner.

Free Coin Collection Software and Shareware

Any budding collector will soon find that once their collection begins to grow it helps to have some way to keep track and catalogue the coins in their collection. As well as helping with your inventory, coin collection software can also provide up to date information on the coins in your collection. You will easily be able to store images, information and history of every coin. When it’s needed, you can recall all of your stored data with just a few clicks of your mouse.

I’ve listed some examples of software that is either free or low cost after a free trial. You can easily find the download links for these and other software by doing a search on the net. Some are completely free to download and use while the others offer a free trial period.

WorldCoins from ArteCode Software includes a database of over 10,000 coins from various countries including Australia, USA, Great Britain, Spain and many others. It’s cataloging features allows you to store up to 4 images and complete history of every coin, including valuation, purchase history and specifications. See the value of your whole collection or individual pieces at a glance. Generate and print reports in many formats. Import or export collection data easily. Powerful in-built search features allow you to use up to 18 search filters when exploring your collection data.

Find Coins Viewer is a completely free program used to easily view the database from www.findcoins.eu. You can easily find information on thousands of world coins. The coin database is updated daily. You will also be able to contact and swap coins with other users, making this a great resource for building your collection. Find the coins you need and swap out those you don’t.

Coin Collector is a low cost shareware program that will help with inventory management. Try it out for free and decide if it meets your needs. Store as much or as little information as you need using the many data fields, or customise the fields to personalise your database.

Coin Collection Wizard is another low cost shareware program to catalogue and manage your coin inventory. Store all of the important information and images of your coins, retrieve it with ease and create reports on your collection.

CoinManage2008 comes with a database of over 12,000 US, Canadian and UK coins. Store manage and retrieve information on your entire collection easily. This software also links to ebay allowing you to search the auction site for the coins you need in your collection.

Brief History of Australian Gold Sovereigns

Sovereign coins have been minted since the time of Henry II in 1429. In Australia these coins were struck between the years of 1855 and 1931. Unlike other coins, no value is imprinted on the sovereign. Although the coins represent one pound in value, they term “sovereign” is more commonly used as a reference to the image of the monarch on the obverse die of the coin. The sovereign is the official coinage of the British Monarchy.

The sovereign is not the first gold coin to be minted in Australia. The “Adelaide Pound” coins were struck in 1852. A serious die crack was noticed after the pressing of the first 50 coins. A new die was cut and around 25000 “type II” Adelaide pounds were struck. Due to the rising value of gold, it wasn’t long until it was realised that the actual value of the gold used was higher than the face value of the coins. Due to profiteering, very few of either version of the Adelaide Pound have survived.

All sovereign coins are struck from 22 carat gold. Australian sovereigns minted between 1855 and 1870 carry a unique Sydney Mint design. After this all coins minted in Australia were of the same Imperial design used throughout the British Empire, although they do carry a mint mark indicating whether they were struck in the Sydney, Melbourne or Perth mints. Due to the rising value of gold, production of sovereigns ceased throughout the Empire in the early 1930′s.The Australian coins are much rarer than the English versions and are highly collectible.

Nine distinct types of Australian sovereign can be identified, and many of those can be divided into a number of series based on different obverse and reverse combinations. The types include the early series one and two of the Sydney Mint coins, produced from 1855-1856 and 1857-1870 respectively. These were followed by the Imperial design coins as follows: Victorian Young Head Shield Reverse 1871-1887, Victorian Young Head St. George Reverse 1871-1887, Victorian Jubilee Head 1887-1893, Victorian Veil Head 1893-1901, King Edward VII 1902-1910, King George V Large Head 1911-1928 & King George V Small Head 1929-1931.

Example Values of Australian Gold Sovereigns

These prices are given as a guide only. They are examples of some coins currently found in the marketplace. Actual coin values will vary depending on quality. Coins from other years are also of value. Prices are listed in Australian Dollars.  For more up-to-date information on coin values, please visit the Australian Rare Coin Ready Reckoner.

Rare Australian Coin Values – shilling

Australian shilling coins were minted between the years of 1910 and 1963. The currency system used in this period was based on the British pound, using pounds shillings and pence. The coin demoninations were the halfpenny, penny, threepence, sixpence, the shilling(12 pence), the florin (two shillings), and the crown (5 shillings). The crown was only minted in the years 1937-1938.

The following prices are for some of the most sought after shilling coins. Coins minted in other years are also of value, those listed below are simply the “cream of the crop”. These prices are only a guide to possible marketplace values. There will be fluctuations in the actual marketplace. Prices will also vary depending on the condition of the coin. All values are listed in Australian dollars. For more up-to-date information on coin values, please visit the Australian Rare Coin Ready Reckoner.

Home Remedies for Sinus Congestion

Thousands of people every year suffer from painful sinus conditions and seek medical help to relieve their sinus pressure. In many cases the condition is chronic and the suffering from pain and pressure continues despite the use of pain killers and anti-biotics. What most do not know is that there are many simple home remedies that can relieve the sinus pressure and other symptoms.

There can be many causes of sinus problems, in some cases even a change in the weather can cause an attack. Generally there is inflammation which may be caused by infection. The sinus passages will become congested causing breathing difficulty. The feeling of pressure in the forehead and behind the eyes in some cases extends to the cheeks and even the jaw. It can be extremely painful. There can be a severe fever and associated cough. Treatment with drugs and anti-biotics can be expensive and is not always effective.

Some of the inexpensive home remedies that can ease the symptoms include hot compresses or poultices, inhaling hot steam or using apple cider vinegar.

Hot Compresses and poultices, such as mustard or ginger help to break up the congestion and stimulate circulation.

Inhaling hot steam also helps to clear the congestion and can be enhanced with the addition of certain oils.

Breathing the vapour from apple cider vinegar or even drinking it diluted may give rapid relief from pressure and congestion.

If you are a sufferer of this ailment always seek the advice of a medical practitioner but be aware that some if not all of your symptoms maybe eased with a simple home remedy. You may already have all of the ingredients needed to ease your sinus pressure, pain and suffering..