Does anyone have any information on the weight tolerance of Australian pennies please; particularly those of George V? I had someone show me a group of around 10 uncirculated coins today; dated from 1911 to 1935, with weights varying from 9.33 to 9.55 grams. The person who brought them around was particularly concerned about those that were overweight, although to me all coins but one looked like normal business strikes of the period.
Not sure - maybe I've read an article somewhere along the way but I can't remember specifics - maybe Jon Saxton's old site? Probably a few different places creating the planchets in that period so I wouldn't be surprised by some variability.
Here is the original Coinage Act of 1909: https://www.legislation.gov.au/C1909A00006/latest/text
Scroll down to the bottom and you'll find the appended Schedule, with all the tolerances - labelled under their technical term "remedies" - for each denomination.
You will see the official weight of a penny is just under 9.45 grams, and the remedy (or tolerance) is just under 0.19 grams. Which would give a legally acceptable range of between 9.26 and 9.64 grams. So all of your coins are technically within tolerance.
You'll note the tolerance for silver and gold coins is much tighter - about three times tighter, percentage-wise. That's because silver and gold coins were still supposed to have an official intrinsic value, while the copper coins did not.
Quote from: 'Sapyx' pid='129143' dateline='1712297234'Here is the original Coinage Act of 1909: https://www.legislation.gov.au/C1909A00006/latest/text
Scroll down to the bottom and you'll find the appended Schedule, with all the tolerances - labelled under their technical term "remedies" - for each denomination.
You will see the official weight of a penny is just under 9.45 grams, and the remedy (or tolerance) is just under 0.19 grams. Which would give a legally acceptable range of between 9.26 and 9.64 grams. So all of your coins are technically within tolerance.
You'll note the tolerance for silver and gold coins is much tighter - about three times tighter, percentage-wise. That's because silver and gold coins were still supposed to have an official intrinsic value, while the copper coins did not.
Thank you Sapx.
PS Love the Marcus Aurelius quote too
I didn't know if I should start a new topic or post it here. This recent 1920 penny dot above bottom scroll Indian obverse ebay find from Europe, definitely has a feel of underweight or thin planchet to it but I have no means to weigh it these days. Maybe a thinnish planchet could explain the poor strike up of rim denticles.
The coin was remarkably grubby with most of the reverse devices filled with gunk while the obverse was just as remarkably clear. The obverse does have fresh scrapes to the high points as if it had been slid along the concrete, but the fields for both reverse and obverse display little or no sign of circulation. It could easily have spent 106 years bouncing around in a car's ash tray.
After a five-day soak in olive oil the gunk was easily removed with a fine wooden probe giving a surprising result. Who knows, could it be a fake?
https://www.australian-coins.net/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=22204
https://www.australian-coins.net/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=22202
Looks OK Auto.,nice grade as well.
Thanks Basil. The cost including postage was $16, so just a little gamble.