ALREADY passed through innumerable sets of hands, one of Australia’s first coins has been sold to a new owner for close to half a million dollars.
A Melbourne-based collector bought one of the 300 remaining holey dollars for $485,000, a record price for this type of coin.
via Historic Australian holey dollar sells for record $485,000 | News.com.au.
Australian Coin Collectors Guide – Everything you need to know
A good coin collectors guide is a must have for coin collectors at every level. For beginners they help to identify the best coins for your collection and can tell you where to look for them. For the more advanced collector or investor your coin guide can show you how to find coin collection values and where to sell them for the best prices. The Layman’s Guide to Australian Coins has all of this information and much much more.
Most experienced collectors would advise every “newbie” to read at least one good coin collecting guide before you even think about buying a coin. It’s not just a matter of “finders keepers” where you grab just any coin and add it to your collection. If you are going to be buying coins to add to your collection you need to know at least a little about getting the best value for your money.
Over time your collection can even increase in value but it it’s a big help to get off to the right start. Some coins are not worth collecting and on the other hand, a coin with incredible vale could easily be overlooked. Australian rare pennies for example, depending on the year of minting and condition, can vary in value from a few dollars to hundreds of thousands.
When you look for a good Australian Coin Collecors Guide, try to find one that contains the following information:-
1. It must give some information on coin history. If you are going to be collecting Australian coins, you need to know a little about the history of minting in this country.
2. It must give you advice on grading coins. The condition of coins can have a huge impact on their value. By being able to recognise the difference in grade of coins you will have a better idea on the real market value.
3. It must tell you how to find your coin collection values. Just like any other investment item, coin prices can vary considerably from time to time. A good guide will tell you how to find the current market values and trends so you will know if it’s the right time to think about selling your coins.
4. It will also give you an idea on the best places to sell your coins. Is it better to go to a dealer or sell your coins at an auction? Should you be buying and selling coins online?
It can actually be hard to find good coin collecting books with all of the information needed on Australian coin collections. Fortunately we have the Layman’s Guide To Australian Coins which has been written by coin expert and president of the Australian Numismatics Dealers Association, Peter Crellin. Peter provides all of the information needed by the budding beginner or the more advanced coin investor. Click here now to find out how to get up to the minute information on collecting Australian coins and the value of your collection.
Tips for choosing a Savings Account in Australia
Money can be a tough thing to manage and even harder if you
don’t earn very much from your job. When it comes to
electricty bills, water bills, groceries and other expenses
if you don’t track what you spend them you’ll wonder where
it’s all going and when unexpected things come up that
needs to be paid for a savings account (especially a high
interest account) can bail you out. By putting in as much
as you can every week you will make life easier for
yourself in the long run.
Many people use the first bank account that they come
across without looking at the interest rate and fees and
this is a mistake because fees will eat away at your hard
earned savings and you may not be maximizing your income
with a low interest rate, so make sure you check your
current interest rate and look for a better deal, it’s best
to look every few months as banks are always changing their
rates some go up some go down.
As many people tend not to have a good savings habit
another way is to have your employer put part of your wage
directly into a savings account you can’t access so easily
(one without a key card perhaps) and the rest into your
normal account, this way it’s easy to make a habit of not
spending it and will benefit your greatly when you need the
money. It will become such a habit that you won’t even miss
the extra money because you will learn to live without it.
Any bank you go to should be able to advise you on what
will be the best account to maximise your money, they have
trained specialists who should be able to break it down
into details so that you can understand everthing easily,
if you can’t understand then perhaps try another bank
because that is their job to get you to understand what you
are doing rather than trying to sell you their services.
So your aim is to try to save on consistent weekly or
monthly basis, make it a habit and you will soon see that
it becomes easier over term and will benefit you greatly in
the long term.
If you want to find a high interest bank account in
Australia, then there are many comparison sites around.
Just try a search in google or yahoo.
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Andrew is a writer for many Australian websites covering
topics in the fields of Finance including
http://www.banksavingsaccounts.com.au , Insurance, Travel
and others.
Albert Namtjira was the first Australian Aboriginal to be recognised nationally and internationally as an artist. He is best known for his landscape paintings which he painted using watercolours in a western style. He painted the country that he lived in, that he was part of, the land of the Arrernte (Aranda) people in the Western Macdonell Ranges area of the Northern Territory.
Albert lived from 1902-1959. He was born near the site of the Herrmansburg Lutheran Mission near Alice Springs. He was named Elea by his parents but while he was still a young boy his family moved to the mission where he was baptised and given the Christian name Albert. After receiving a western style upbringing on the mission, he returned to the bush at the age of 13 where he was initiated and learnt the traditional ways of his people. This exposure to his culture inspired the love and respect for his country that he would later show to the world through his art. At the age of 18 he married Ilkalita, a girl from a neighbouring tribe. He spent several years supporting his growing family by doing odd jobs and spent some time as a camel driver which allowed him to see more of central Australia. After returning to the mission, his wife was baptised as Rubena.
In 1934 Albert was introduced to western painting by two artists who exhibited at the mission. When one of these artists returned two years later to paint, Albert acted as his guide in return for lessons in watercolour painting. These two months were the only art tuition he was to receive. He excelled and quickly developed his own painting style. His landscape paintings were rich in the colours of the native bush and illustrated the rugged terrain of his home lands.
His first exhibition in Melbourne in 1938 consisted of 41 paintings and was quickly sold out. Subsequent exhibitions in Adelaide and Sydney were equally successful. Albert was soon to become a celebrity, even noting Queen Elizabeth II among his fans. Even though he appeared to enjoy the fame, Albert was not comfortable with big city life, and always enjoyed returning home to his land and family.
Despite his success, Albert preferred the simple life. Sharing what he earned with all of his family in the traditional way. When he wanted to lease a cattle farm for his family, he was prevented by the laws that existed at the time because he was an Aborigine. He tried to build a house in Alice Springs but again he was prevented by the law. It was a ridiculous situation for Albert. He was famous, but because he was an Aborigine he was not recognised as a citizen and was prevented from owning land.
Public outcry over Albert’s situation forced the government to grant him citizenship in 1957. It was 10 years later before the rest of Australia’s Aboriginal population would be granted the same rights.This meant that Albert would now be able to own land, would be able to vote, would be able to enter a hotel and be allowed to buy alcohol.
Unfortunately the restrictions that remained for other Aboriginal people resulted in Albert’s demise. Because of his traditional family values, Albert shared all he had with his family. This resulted in him breaking the white man’s law. He was found guilty of supplying alcohol to Aboriginals. In 1958 he was convicted and served 2 months imprisonment. His conviction and time in jail broke his spirit. He lost his interest in painting and in life. Albert died as a result of heart disease in 1959.
Performance of Rare Australian Coins
It’s well known that rare collectible coins have great investment potential and Australian rare coins are no exception. In fact some examples, such as the famous 1930 penny, are among the rarest and most valuable collectible coins to be found. In times of economic instability, investors look towards precious metals and coins for security. Coins can be volatile in the market but are often regularly seen to outperform precious metals.
While uncirculated coins will naturally have the highest value, there is plenty of value to be found in coins of lower quality. For example, a coin that is fairly common in the marketplace, such as an 1889 gold sovereign of average condition, will probably attract a price around 10% higher than the gold it contains. The value will certainly increase with the quality of the coin. Find the same coin in near mint condition and you can expect a return four or more times higher than the intrinsic gold value. In the market for Australian sovereigns, there are around 250 known different date and mint mark combinations, 150 of these are considered common, the rest are scarce to rare.
Gold coins are not the only ones of value to astute collectors. If you can manage to come across an average 1930 penny, expect a return in excess of $20,000. Only around 2000 of these coins made it into circulation and are now very rare. Even more so the proof edition of this coin, only six were produced. Three of these are now in private collections and are valued at over $1,000,000.
It’s not age that has the greatest influence on the value of coins, but rarity and demand in the marketplace. Australian half sovereigns can be more valuable than ancient coins. In the last 5 years some uncirculated half sovereigns have more than doubled in value. In the same period, uncirculated type 2 Adelaide pounds (not as rare as the type 1), have increased from $28,000, to $120,000.
The table below lists some examples of the investment performance of some Australian coins in recent years. For more up-to-date information on coin values, please visit the Australian Rare Coin Ready Reckoner.
| Value 1965 |
Value 1999 |
Value 2005 |
|
| 1813 – NSW Holey Dollar… VF/EF | 600 | 37,500 | 125,000 |
| 1852 – Type 1 Adelaide Pound… EF | 90 | 20,000 | 95,000 |
| 1855 – Type 1 Sydney Mint Sov… aUNC | 230 | 25,000 | 45,000 |
| 1923 – Australian Half Penny… VF | 16 | 1,650 | 4,5000 |
| 1930 – Australian Penny… VF | 180 | 18,500 | 45,000 |
| 1915 – Australian Shilling… BrUNC | 42 | 8,500 | 15,000 |
| 1938 – Australian Proof Crown… FDC | 150 | 16,500 | 40,000 |
| 1932 – Australian Florin… BrUNC | 650 | 17,500 | 24,000 |
| 1933 – Australian Shilling… BrUNC | 80 | 9,500 | 17,500 |
| 1923 – Australian Halfpenny… gEF | 47 | 7,500 | 27,500 |
| 1919 – Aus. Sixpence… BrUNC | 70 | 1,950 | 3,500 |
| 1893S – Victoria Proof Sov… FDC | 300 | 21,000 | 55,000 |
| 1914 – Florin… BrUNC | 34 | 4,500 | 8,500 |