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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.

I don’t know why I’ve been putting it off for so long but at least now I’ve gotten around to havng a look at Squidoo. Here’s my first “lens”, based on one of my favourite niche topics, australian coins. http://www.squidoo.com/rare-australian-coins-values 

Once I bit the bullet I was surprised at how easy it was to plug modules together and create a page. My first attempt is probably a little rushed but now that it’s up and running I can get to work on tweaking. Who knows, maybe it will even help to make a little money. For a free site with the potential to make some income, Squidoo appears to well worth some effort.

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.

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.