Penny 1937 (pattern), Coin from Australia

Penny 1937 (pattern), Coin from Australia (withdrawn 1966)

Coin	Penny 1937 (pattern)

Known as Australia's rarest penny, the 1937 Pattern Penny is one of the nation's most important coins. It was struck at the Royal Mint in London as part of the Great Recoinage - a complete revision of Australia's currency originally planned for the first coinage issue of Edward VIII, who abdicated in 1936.

This pattern was the first coin to feature what would become the reverse of the Australian penny coins until 1964.

The "regular" coin is double-sided. Uniface varieties exist. All coins were proofs.

Mint	Royal Mint	Mint Mark	No mint mark	Total Mintage	12 , Rarity: R5 (9 to 14 examples known)
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Obverse

Some coins were initially struck with an effigy of Edward VIII, which was removed after his abdication and the word "MODEL" struck instead.

A small number of other specimens were then struck with the effigy of King George VI:

The obverse of the coin shows the bare (uncrowned) head of King George VI facing left.

Below the neck truncation in small letters, the artist's initials HP (for [Thomas] Humphrey Paget).

Around, the monarch's legend: GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.. Translated from Latin: George the Sixth, by the Grace of God, King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India.

Obverse Inscription	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.

Reverse

Kangaroo leaping to the left; around above, the legend AUSTRALIA.

Around below, the denomination PENNY; the seven pointed Federation star is in the field to the left of the kangaroo and the date 1937 is in the field below its tail.

The artist's initials KG (for [George] Kruger Gray) are above the tip of the kangaroo's tail.

Reverse Inscription	AUSTRALIA 1937 PENNY

Edge	Plain	Edge Inscription	None

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Penny 1937 (pattern): Known varieties

Variety	Model obverse
Mintage	Issued: unknown (included in total)
Details	The obverse just has the word "model" on it.
Variety	Model obverse, holed
Mintage	Issued: unknown (included in total)
Details	The obverse is holed and just has the word "model" on it. An example was for sale with the hole plugged.
Variety	Uniface, silver
Mintage	Issued: unknown (included in total)
Details	Off-metal strike, uniface (blank obverse).

Penny 1937 (pattern): References to Information Used

Source	Edition	About	Link	Notes
McDonald, Australian Coins and Banknotes		Varieties		Uniface varieties

All (53) coins of type: Penny

Coin Name	Mintage	Effigy	Legend
Penny 1911	3,768,000	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1912	3,600,000	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1913	2,520,000	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1914	720,000	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1915	2,280,000	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1916	3,324,000	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1917	6,240,000	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1918	1,200,000	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1919	5,810,160	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1920	9,041,600	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1921	7,438,320	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1922	12,697,440	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1923	5,654,400	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1924	4,665,840	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1925	1,639,200	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1926	1,860,000	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1927	4,922,450	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1928	3,038,400	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1929	2,599,200	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1930	unknown	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1931	494,400	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1932	2,116,800	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1933	5,817,600	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1934	5,808,100	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1935	3,724,900	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1936	9,890,400	King George V - Crowned Bust, by Mackennal	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: ·
Penny 1937 (pattern)	12	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1938	5,552,650	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1939	6,240,000	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1940	5,188,800	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1941	14,382,800	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1942	21,244,800	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1943	53,198,400	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1944	29,942,000	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1945	15,172,806	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1946	240,000	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1947	11,174,400	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1948	28,150,000	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX F : D : IND : IMP.
Penny 1949	27,064,800	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX FIDEI DEF.
Penny 1950	57,846,800	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX FIDEI DEF.
Penny 1951	52,128,000	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX FIDEI DEF.
Penny 1952	57,922,000	King George VI - Bare Head	GEORGIVS VI D : G : BR : OMN : REX FIDEI DEF.
Penny 1953	13,138,816	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA
Penny 1955	17,447,101	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Penny 1956	25,994,917	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Penny 1957	15,979,112	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Penny 1958	24,443,334	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Penny 1959	16,048,136	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Penny 1960	20,516,230	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Penny 1961	30,608,240	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Penny 1962	34,852,664	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Penny 1963	10,259,660	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :
Penny 1964	64,590,401	Queen Elizabeth II - First Portrait	+ ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA · F : D :

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Penny 1937 (pattern): Details

Country	Australia
Currency	Australian Pound
Coin Type	Penny - Kangaroo
Issued	1937
Monarch	King George VI
Effigy	King George VI - Bare Head, by Thomas Humphrey Paget
Face Value	1 (x Penny)
Total Mintage	12, Rarity: R5 (9 to 14 examples known)
Current	No; withdrawn 1966
Material	Bronze
Designer	George Kruger Gray
Technology	Milled (machine-made)
Shape	Round
Orientation	Medal Alignment (Axis 0)
Size	30.8000 mm
Mass	9.4500 g
OCC ID	XYRV-PEVR-CMVD-EDQG

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Penny 1937 (pattern): Catalogue Reference IDs

Source	Reference ID
Krause, Standard Catalog of World Coins	Australia Pn24
Australian Coin Chart	P35

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Penny 1937 (pattern), Coin from Australia - detailed information