Penny 1953, Coin from Australia - detailed information

The obverse of the coin shows the laureate young laureate bust of Queen Elizabeth II facing right - her effigy known as the "First Portrait". The laurel wreath in the Queen's hair is tied with a ribbon with two ends flowing behind.

The designer's initials, M.G. (for Mary Gillick) appear incuse on the base of the shoulder truncation, and can be seen when the coin is viewed at an angle.

The monarch's legend runs continuously all around the bust: + ELIZABETH · II · DEI · GRATIA · REGINA. Translated from Latin: Elizabeth the Second, by the grace of God, Queen.

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 1953 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.

A dot after "AUSTRALIA" is the mint mark for the Perth Mint on this issue. Melbourne Mint coins have no mint mark.

This is the first one penny issue in Australia for Queen Elizabeth II. There was no "Defender of the Faith" in her first legend; due to a public outcry over the omission though, it was added the next year.

Specimens (proofs) were produced this year for official purposes only. According to CoinFactsWiki:

"Struck for Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in 1953, a minuscule total of twelve, penny through florin, sets were officially produced at the Melbourne Mint, with the entire mintage ending up in the possession of the Chase Manhattan Bank in New York for their currency museum. Clearly, later de-accessioned or distributed, less than half of these have made their way to auction over the following six decades. The Halfpenny, missing from the standard Coronation set, was actually struck separately at the Perth mint (identified by the dot after Australia). While the true mintage remains unknown, its rarity likely even surpasses that of the sets."

Krause catalogues list the following mintages:
- Melbourne Mint: 6,936,000
- Perth Mint: 6,203,000

References to additional information:

[Article] Sharples, John P. Perth Mint Proof Record Coins 1940 - 1954. Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia. 8
[Article] Pearce, Murray. 1987. Royal Titles and Australian Coins: the "Defender of the Faith" Controversy of 1953. Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia. 3: 12-17.