Australia 1923 Halfpenny

Mint:	Melbourne	Mintage:	Est 21,000	Milling:	Plain
Weight:	5.67 grams	Diameter:	25.5 mm	Composition:	97% Copper, 2.5% Zinc, 0.5% Tin

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Obverse 1 - English

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Reverse A - London

Designer:	Sir (Edgar) Bertram Mackennal (Initials 'B.M.' raised on truncation)
Design:	Left facing profile of George V
Legend:	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP: •
Denticle Count:	156 teeth
Mint mark:	None

Designer:	William Henry James Blakemore (no attribution)
Design:	'ONE HALF PENNY' surrounded by 90 beads contained within concentric circles
Legend:	• COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA •
Denticle Count:	148 teeth
Mint mark:	None
Characteristics:	Straight based letters in the legend

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Value

BM Ad NP	8 Good VG10	10 VG F12	12 about F F15	15 Fine VF20	20 good F VF25	25 about VF VF30	30 Very Fine VF35	35 good VF EF40	40 about EF EF45	45 Ext Fine AU50	50 good EF AU53	53 about Unc AU55	58+ virt Unc AU58	58-60 Uncirc MS60	58-61 Uncirc MS61	58-62 Uncirc MS62	63-64 Choice Unc MS63	64-65 near Gem MS64	65-66 Gem MS65	66-67 Gem MS66	67-68 Gem MS67	68 near Flaw MS68	69 virt Flaw MS69	70 Flawless MS70	Proof
B	$300 + NGC 1 PCGS 1	$400 + NGC PCGS 3	$600 + NGC 11 PCGS 5	$1250 + NGC PCGS 15	$1500 + NGC PCGS 27	$1750 + NGC 10 PCGS 54	$2250 + NGC PCGS 66	$2750 + NGC 6 PCGS 70	$4000 + NGC 15 PCGS 63	$6000 + NGC PCGS 21	$9000 + NGC 1 PCGS 15	$15000 + NGC 5 PCGS 16	$25000 + NGC 2 PCGS 10	$35000 + NGC PCGS	$50000 + NGC PCGS	$75000 + NGC 1 PCGS 2	$125000 + NGC PCGS 1	$175000 + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	Y
RB	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	$7500 + NGC PCGS 1	$10000 + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	Y
R	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	Y

Click here for Half Penny quick reference price guide

Benchmark

Adjectival

NGC/PCGS

Collectable grades

Does not exist by definition

Investment grades

Unlikely to exist

Aspirational grades

Bullion or metal value

Not known in these grades

Value as above

Proof

Y (Yes)
N (Not known)

Last updated August 2024

Notes:

In July 1923, the Australian Treasury ordered from the Melbourne Mint £1,000 of halfpennies and in September of that year three pairs of dies were prepared to strike the coins. This was the first time that the Melbourne Mint struck halfpennies, and the dies that were made were of such a poor standard as one pair of dies was immediately returned to the workshop. The two remaining pairs that were used to strike coins deteriorated so quickly that the vast majority of 1923 halfpennies exhibit diagnostic die cracks particularly in the obverse legend. Another tell-tale marker of the 1923 Halfpenny also relates to the obverse. Two of the high-grade coins that have been observed have grainy or porous services on the obverse which indicates that at least one of the obverse dies that was used was rusty indicating prior use, thus raising the prospect that they were possibly redundant dies recalled from the Sydney Mint which had previously been responsible for striking the 1919, 1929, 1921 & 1922 halfpennies.

Only a small number of coins were struck before the dies ultimately failed making this one of the rarest halfpennies and so open to forgery.

The most common 1923 Halfpenny forgery found in old collections involved removing parts of the left side of the '8' in the date of the 1928 Halfpenny to approximate a '3'. Besides the shape of the resultant '3' being thinner in form, the centre divide is also straight rather than tilted down as occurs on the 1923 Halfpenny. The legend on the reverse of the 1923 Halfpenny is also straight based when compared to that of the 1928 Halfpenny which is slightly curved.

Another commonly found forgery involved replacing the first '3' in the date of a 1933 Halfpenny with a '2', as most people are inclined to look at the last digit when determining whether a 1923 Halfpenny is genuine. Even if you can't pick the altered date you should look to the legend, as the 1933 Halfpenny has strong curvature to the base of the letters on the reverse when compared to the straight based letters found on the 1923 Halfpenny.