2006 Australia 10 Cents

The most common of the Australian 10 cents series from 1999 - 2014. The size of a U.S. quarter and also made of copper-nickel it is the reason why it can be found floating in U.S. change.

First Australian coin this year it usually takes a while but this is a common country to find in your change.

Here are the stats for this coin...
Type / Country: 10 Cents / Australia
Year: 2006
Mintage: 157,100,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.25 in VF
 
Do you have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2008 Australia 5 Cents

Two years since my last Australian 5 cents find. Because of the long distance Australian coins are not easy change finds. This is the second most common of the series and is probably the main reason I found it.

Currently Australia is suffering from record unemployment, like most modern countries. this means less coins are being produced and recent years may have added value, but for now I still think they are common.

Here are the stats for this coin...
Type / Country: 5 Cents / Australia
Year: 2008
Mintage: 200,200,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.06 in VF
 
Do you have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

2005 Australia 10 Cents

Got this as a quarter in my change it has happened before with Australian dimes since they have the same specifications as U.S. quarters. In most countries coins tend to have the same metal composition and size with the U.S. and a few smaller countries who do not follow the standards.

Even the designs are similar a leader on the front and a bird on the back with the denomination. Sure we have an eagle while Australia has a lyrebird but they both probably taste like chicken.

I am also noting that it has been two years since finding my last Australian coin in my change. I have been saying that a lot. Apparently 2012 was a great year for finding coins while 2013 was pretty weak. Trust me 2014 has been beyond great for finding coins, not so much for currency. I can only guess the economy is better globally and that travel is become more common.

Here are the stats for this coin...
Type / Country: 10 Cents / Australia
Year: 2005
Mintage: 116,700,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.25 in VF
 
Do you have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Super Bowl XLVIII Highland Mint "Coin"

Yes I know this not really a coin but that is what everyone calls them since they are used for Super Bowl Coin flipping. This is also not the official version used, that one is silver and gold plated and limited to 10,000. This is a bronze version in an acrylic stand sold by the hundred thousands.

The coin is from the Highland Mint and they have been making Super Bowl coins for over two decades in Australia. The one used at the game is the highest quality and like I mentioned before is then replicated and limited to 10,000, it sells for about $60.00 on sale. This one I got on sale for $10.00 is not as sharp and a bunch of them had stains so it took a while to find a clean one.

It comes in an acrylic stand that is etched with SUPER BOWL XLVIII, the NFL logo, the HM The Highland Mint logo, and NEW YORK · NEW JERSEY FEBRUARY 2, 2014. I lost one of the stands legs but I will find or make a replacement.

I would prefer the official version made with silver and 24k gold plating but that was to expensive for a souvenir to a game I did not watch, yet.

Here are the stats for this...
Type/Country: Super Bowl XLVIII Highland Mint "Coin" / Australia
Year: Unknown (Starting Jan. 19, 2014 to date)
Mintage: Unknown (Seems like about 100,000 cannot be sure)
Metal: Bronze, Frosted with mirrored background and possibly gold flash finish
Diameter: 39 millimeters
Obverse Writing: NEW YORK · NEW JERSEY (SUPER BOWL) XLVIII
FEBRUARY 2, 2014
Reverse Writing: (NFL) OFFICIALLY LICENSED
Value: $10.00 

Do you have a medal and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1999 Australia 5 Cents

Have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question

Continuing with the best week for nickel finds I got this with four more Canadians, yet to be pictured, all at the same time when I said "Yes, I do accept Canadian from a busy cashier." This is the second time finding a 1999 Australian nickel but first time posting. No surprise it is the most common of the 20th Century Australian nickels.

That is an Echidna on the reverse which is like an egg-laying hedgehog. It looks so adorable although the queen on the front does not look amused.

Here are the stats for this coin...
Type / Country: 5 Cents / Australia
Year: 1999
Mintage: 179,016,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.06 in VF
 
Do you have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1968 Australia Dime

Do you have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question

Having displayed eleven of my nineteen Australian coins makes this feel a little less extraordinary. This is a common of the pre-1980 Australian ten cents coin one is worth more than others. I am not sure why this year is worth $4.50 in uncirculated when $2.00 is the average value.

The front has the young bust of Queen Elizabeth II, the country, and year. The reverse has a big ten and a lyrebird.

Here are the stats for this coin...
Type / Country: 10 Cents / Australia
Year: 1968
Mintage: 457,194,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.60 in VF
 
Do you have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

1989 Australian 10 Cents

Do you have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question

It is the size of a quarter.
It is the weight of a quarter.
But this is not a U.S. quarter that I recently found in my change.

At this point with all the state, territory, bicentennial, and eagle quarters circulating it is not  to clear how a quarter should look like. Although I'm thinking the Queen and a giant 10 would give most people a clue.

Still this Australian dime passed quite easily as quarter.

Here are the stats for this coin...
Type / Country: 10 Cents / Australia
Year: 1989 
Mintage: 45,000,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.25 in XF (this one is less than XF)
 
Do you have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Spot the Difference

Do you have a world coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Still working on putting up last year's find I got this odd pair. Where they were given to me I'm not sure as the last three weeks in December were kind of a blur.

The first is an Australian cent from 1973 in remarkably good shape about 17.51mm with a young queen.
The second is an East Caribbean States ten cents from 2000 in spotty condition about 18.10mm with a young queen.
Both weigh 2.60grams. This fact makes them feel almost identical in hand.

 

The reverse of the Australian coin has a feather-tailed glider which is one of the world's smallest gliding marsupials.

The reverse of the East Caribbean States coin has Sir Francis Drake's ship the Golden Hind. I think he liked puns.

Apparently by the 1991 all the 1 and 2 cent Australian coins were taken out of circulation and melted for Olympic Bronze medals and for normal metal recovery.

Here's the stats ...
Type/Country: 1 Cent / Australia
Year: 1973
Mintage: 140,710,000
Metal: Bronze
Value: $0.25 in XF

Type/Country: 10 Cents / East Caribbean States
Year: 2000
Mintage: Unknown.
Metal: Copper-Nickel
Value: $0.10 in VF

I'm pretty sure the spots can be safely removed but who has the time.

Do you have a world coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Australian Currency

Do you have Australian money and want to know its value? Leave a comment

Finally the issues with Blogger have been solved and I can stop using my alter ego MC, he's not as fun.

This was kindly given by a tourist having trouble paying at the register at a big city store and I was gifted with this nice Australian five dollar note. It is one of the few foreign notes I've gotten in over a decade.

Australian currency is the definition of "funny money". It is brightly colored, has lots of designs, and is made of plastic.

Plastic money or polypropylene polymer banknotes are not new to the currency world but this is the first time I ever had one. It doesn't feel as fake as I thought plastic money would feel mainly because it has texture. The bill has raised features which gives it depth and a good grip.

The front has Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, eucalyptus leaves, and a gum flower on a transparent window. The back has Parliament House, the landscape plans for that house, and some neat patterns.

There is a lot of security features like micro-printing, dual side printing to create one image, and a few other things common to most modern notes.

Type/Country: 5 Dollars / Australia
Year: 2003A
Printings: 114,000,000 (badly estimated)
Run: ???
Value: $6.00 in VF, it has a fold and this is more of the currency exchange rate

Great video although I have to find the original source.

Do you have any notes or bills from Australia and want to know their value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

My Australian Coins

Do you have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.

Let's celebrate Australia.

Here are some coins I got from my change over the years. I also received a few in coin lots that I bought. Most were given to me in my change here in NYC. The distance between New York, New York, United States and Perth, Australia:

11606 miles (18679 km) (10086 nautical miles)

Well coins do end up in strange places. Here are 7 out of 10 coins I found over the years.

Including these the total find has been 2 pennies, 5 nickels, 1 dime and 2 half dollars.

Here are the stats for the coins pictured from top to bottom...
Type/Country: 50 Cents/Australia
Year: 1985
Mintages: 1,000,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $2.00 in XF( this one maybe is less because it worn)
($0.60 increase since 2008)

Type/Country: 50 Cents/Australia
Year: 1971
Mintage: 21,056,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $1.50 in XF( worn and maybe worth a bit less)
($1.05 increase for 2010)

Type/Country: 5 Cents/Australia
Year: 1998
Mintages: 88,532,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.40 in UNC
($0.10 decrease since 2008)

Type/Country: 5 Cents/Australia
Year: 1987
Mintages: 73,500,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.50 in UNC

Type/Country: 5 Cents/Australia
Year: 1982
Mintage: 121,770,000
Metal: Copper-nickel
Value: $0.25 in XF

Type/Country: 1 Cent/Australia
Year: 1981
Mintages: 223,900,000
Metal: Bronze
Value: $0.20 in UNC

Type/Country: 1 Cent/Australia
Year: 1979
Mintages: 130,339,000
Metal: Bronze
Value: $0.20 in UNC

Those not pictured:
The 1968 dime is about $1.00, the 1999 and 1988 nickels are $0.20 and $0.40 respectively.

Yes Australia has beautiful beaches, beautiful women and some of the best looking circulating coins in the developed world. Although why they still keep the Queen on there coins is beyond me.

Do you have an Australian coin and want to know its value? Leave a comment/question and I will do my best to find out the price and history for you.