Elizabeth II Silver Coinage 1953 - 1964

Australian Silver Coinage

Elizabeth II 1953 to 1964 

Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952 on the death of her father King George VI. Dies were
prepared and coinage in all denominations commenced in 1953. Pre Decimal denominations issued were the Threepence , Sixpence Shilling and Florin. To collect a set of all issues in Uncirculated grades is a challenge but not an impossible one. There are 46 coins recquired for a complete set. All the coins in the series are 50% silver , 40% copper with the remainder
zinc & nickel.

Threepences

The smallest silver denomination produced in Australia was the threepence , 80 of which made up the unit of currency the pound . Coins were produced every year from 1953 to 1964 which was the last year of coinage before the introduction of decimal currency in 1966. Unlike the larger denominations of sixpences , shillings and florins the threepence did not circulate alongside their decimal equivalents.

As obvious from the above table mintages were by Australian standards very high. Despite this
Gem examples of several dates notably the 1953 , 1954 & 1956 are difficult to obtain. Mint
rolls of all dates excepting 1954 & 1956 have turned up with rolls of 1963 & 1964 being fairly common.

The two most underrated dates in the series would be the 1956 & 1958. Both these coins are
now very elusive in grades above MS 62 . Another coin to watch out for would be the 1959 in Gem grade.

Sixpences

The sixpence was the pre decimal equivalent of the 5c piece. Elizabeth the second issues
commenced in 1953 and continued until 1963. They remained in circulation until the mid seventies when a rise in silver saw them souvaneered into the melting pot. Fourty sixpences
were the equivalent of one pound.

As can be seen from the above table the 1953 sixpence is the key Elizabeth issue. A small
mintage is reflected by the price in relation to other issues. Suprisingly the 1953 is readily available to collectors. Underrated issues are notably the 1960 with 1959 and 1955 quite
hard to find in top grade. The 1956 however is rare in gem grade , myself having sighted very few over the last 10 years.

Mint rolls of 1954 , 1957 , 1958 , 1962 and 1963 have survived with coins of these dates readily available. The 1954 issue turn up in lovely gem grade , the other dates sometimes have small striking problems especially with Advance Australia on the reverse of the coin. Acceptable grades to collect even in the common dates would be MS 63.

Shillings

The shilling was the pre decimal equivalent of the 10c piece. Elizabeth shillings were first minted in 1953 and continued until 1963. They could be found in circulation into the mid 1970's. Twenty coins were the equivalent of a pound . A mint roll of shillings also contained 20 coins.

The 1956 shilling is the key to the series , however it does seem to turn up fairly readily. In gem grade the 1954 is very elusive with the 1958 & 1959 issues also hard to locate. Mint rolls of
1960 , 1961 , 1962 and 1963 have turned up from time to time. There have also been a few rolls of 1959 and a fairly substantial hoard of 1957 shillings several years ago. ( a few hundred pieces).

Underated coins in the series seem to be coins of 1954 and 1955. The shillings of Elizabeth
are an attractive and nice coin to collect with an evenly matched MS 63 set very affordable at around the $250 mark. The shillings in the sixties should only be saved in MS 64 or better as they are still very common.

Florins  

Florins were the pre decimal equivalent of the 20c piece. Twenty of them went in making up
1 pound. This denomination could be found in circulation up until the 1970's. Probably the most popular series in pre decimal Australian collecting. The Elizabeth series contains the only commemorative that of the 1954 produced for thr royal visit of that year

As can be seen from the table the 1956 florin is the hardest coin in the series. Other scarcer dates are the 1954 and 1953. All the florins are very scarce in MS 64. In fact there would be a survival ratio of at least 10 to 1 between MS 64 & MS 63. Mint rolls have turned up over the years of 1958 , 1959 and all dates in the sixties. There have also been a few rolls of 1953
and 1957. The commemorative florin of 1954 turns up quite readily but is scarce in true MS 64 Gem grade.

Elizabeth series as a Collection
The benifits of collecting this series are many. Firstly as an introduction to Australian coins
it provides a challenge as well as many easier coins at a relatively nominal price. Knowlege gained with this series lends itself to earlier more expensive coins. There are many coins in the series with strong investment potential such as the 1956 shilling , 1954 threepence etc. Many George V coins now valued at thousands of dollars started out at similiar prices to those of these later coins.

Next Month
Copper coins of Elizabeth II
Pre Decimal Proofs 1955 to 1963

Date Added: 13/02/2002

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