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The Australian Shilling is a silver coin which was used in the Commonwealth of Australia prior to decimalisation. It has the same dimensions and composition as the British pre-decimal shilling, from which it is derived (for a time, the coins circulated in parallel and were interchangeable in Australia - but not in the United Kingdom). A shilling is equal to 1/20th of a pound, or 12 pence.
The reverse of the first type of Australian shilling coins featured the 1908 Coat of Arms. In 1938, this new design superseded it - featuring a merino ram's head; the old type of coins remained in circulation.
Coins issued in 1943 were withdrawn at decimalisation in 1966 after 23 years in circulation, but have never been formally demonetised and are still legal tender as 10 cents.
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Obverse | |
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.
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Reverse | |
A merino ram's head facing three-quarters left; around above, AUSTRALIA; around below between two Federation stars, the denomination and date SHILLING · 1943.
The artist's initials K·G (for [George] Kruger Gray) are in the field above the star on the right.
The mint mark S of the San Francisco Mint is in the field above the letter "N" of SHILLING. Coins struck by the Melbourne Mint have no mint mark. |
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Edge | Milled | Edge Inscription | None |
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Notes | Between 1942 and 1944, on account of war efforts, mints in the United States of America and India were employed to strike coins for Australia. The mint mark for coins minted in San Francisco, S, is in the field above the letter "N" of SHILLING. Coins minted in Melbourne have no mint mark.
The Australian Coin Chart 1965 lists mintage for Melbourne Mint of 1,580,000. |
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