At Long Last.

[Goldseeker]

After many years of searching/noodling, I have finally broken the ice:

Before Ultrasonic Cleaner:




After Ultrasonic Cleaner:


May not be in the best of condition but it is my first.

[jens coins]

Well done Bruce

[JeffH]

Good one Bruce. Maybe not the best condition but not many 1966 20¢ in circulation are after 55 years.

[Triggersmob]

Well done Bruce. The ultrasonic cleaner makes a bit of a difference.

[fred lever]

Yes well done!
In my life I have found 1 example  in change and bought 2, the first in about 1980 for a couple of bucks  and the last  around 2000 for a "bit more".
I did a small article about the coin for CAB a long while ago as I worked out the "2" is a blunder in die preparation.
I did ask the London Mint if there was any trace of the that die, as the coins were London minted.
A really good contact there pulled the existing dies and punches out of storage but they were all spot on with no blunder so it is a mystery.
My enquiry to the Australian mint was ignored.
Such is life.
Keep looking!!
Fred.

[runway]

Nice find Bruce

[Pedro]

Well done Bruce!  :yahoo:

Pedro

[Mister T]

Nice find - they're still out there.

[gweidion]

Great pick up. I've certainly never seen one in my change but I keep hoping. I wouldn't pay hundreds of dollars for one like some people do.

[notcb]

Assuming the mintage of 30 million is correct (RAM figure) and all minted in London (RAM information) and there was only one rogue curved 2 die, what would be the estimate of the number of curved 2 coins that might have been let out in the wild?     In other words, what is the typical life of a single die when producing circulation quality coins?   

This would give some insight into how many coins might still be out there.     :huh:

[Unicorn]

Well done Goldie!!! :good: They've always eluded me too!

[fred lever]

Hi notcb, the problem is how quickly quality control jumped on the rubbish coming from that press and stopped the nonsence not the actual die life.
The number may have been what escaped remelt not what the die life number was.
From that thinking, a way of estimating numbers may be gained from how common they were in change.
Must be a fair few as to start with they bobbed up now and then.
They were more common than say a 2000 mule or that 50c with the incuse flag?
That suggests 10,000s made it to freedom?
Fred.

[JeffH]

Hi Fred,
From my noodling many thousands of mainly 20¢, 50¢ and $1 coins I would say more common than the 2000 mule but less common than the incused flag.
I have seen a figure of 3,000 quoted but without any evidence of how that number was obtained.

Goldie would say much less common than the mule but I suspect he has noodled many more $1 coins than 20¢ coins.

[fred lever]

Thanks Jeff, you guys see many more coins than I do, being a part timer at the best!
What you say makes sense.
Fred.

[Goldseeker]

In regards to my noodling figures JeffH, they are as follows:

$1 Coins = 2,895,546.
$0.20c coins: = 88,984
$0.50c coins: = 541,484
$2 coins; = 127,581.

Over the past 18-24 months I have slowed somewhat in the number of coins noodled.