Australia 1920 (S) .//. Penny (Indian Obverse)

Mint:	Sydney	Mintage:	Part 146,160 Estimate 70,000	Milling:	Plain
Weight:	9.45 grams	Diameter:	30.8 mm	Composition:	97% Copper, 2.5% Zinc, 0.5% Tin

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Obverse 2 - Indian (Calcutta)

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Reverse C - Calcutta

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:	178 teeth
Mint mark:	None
Characteristics:	Upstroke on 'N' of 'OMN' aligns with denticle

Designer:	William Henry James Blakemore (no attribution)
Design:	'ONE PENNY' surrounded by 90 beads contained within concentric circles
Legend:	• COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA •
Denticle Count:	179 teeth
Mint mark:	.//. (Dot above top scroll & dot below bottom scroll)
Characteristics:	Apex of first 'A' of 'AUSTRALIA' falls between two denticles Apex of second 'A' of 'AUSTRALIA' falls between two denticles Apex of last 'A' of 'AUSTRALIA' falls between two denticles Straight based letters in the legend Die fault above the 'W' of 'COMMONWEALTH'

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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	$30 + NGC PCGS	$40 + NGC PCGS 4	$50 + NGC PCGS	$75 + NGC PCGS 11	$100 + NGC PCGS 11	$125 + NGC 3 PCGS 13	$175 + NGC PCGS 9	$250 + NGC PCGS 7	$500 + NGC PCGS 4	$750 + NGC PCGS 3	$1250 + NGC 1 PCGS 3	$1500 + NGC PCGS 3	$2500 + NGC PCGS	$3000 + NGC PCGS	$4000 + NGC PCGS	$5000 + NGC PCGS 1	$7500 + NGC PCGS	$12500 + NGC PCGS	$20000 + NGC PCGS	$40000 + NGC PCGS	$80000 + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	N
RB	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	" + NGC PCGS	$1000 + NGC PCGS	$1500 + NGC PCGS	$2000 + NGC PCGS	$4000 + NGC PCGS	$5000 + NGC PCGS	$6000 + NGC PCGS	$9000 + NGC PCGS	$15000 + NGC 1 PCGS 2	$25000 + NGC PCGS 1	$50000 + NGC PCGS 1	$90000 + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	- + NGC PCGS	N
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	N

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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 2020

Notes:

The './/.' mint mark was assigned to the Sydney Mint in July, 1920 when it was sent three 1919-dated penny dies bearing these marks so that it could experiment with penny production before the striking of the first 'official' penny in October of that year. It can therefore be safely assumed that the 1920 .//. Penny is also a Sydney-strike, and on the numbers found it is likely that it was these dies which were predominantly used to calibrate the presses for the main production of the 1920 /./ pennies. The unaltered Calcutta reverse die used on this variety exhibits flat based letters in the legend. Variety collectors rely on a die fault or 'marker' above the 'W' of 'COMMONWEALTH' to confirm a 1920 .//. Penny when the dots are weakly struck although as there was probably more than one reverse die used this is not conclusive.

W. J. Mullet in his book 'Australian Coinage. An Account of Particular Coins' states that the Sydney Mint struck 146,160 pennies in 1921 that must have been dated 1920, as Sydney had no 1921 reverse dies. This figure is more likely to have been the 1920 production from the dies with differing dot placements that were forwarded to Sydney so that it could experiment before beginning its main production of the 1920 /./ pennies. According to Mullet it was mint practice that coins struck from experimental dies "would be placed in a calico bag, added to the canvas draft bag and held in the strongroom and still accounted as a draft of blanks. The main responsibility was to account for the metal belonging to the Commonwealth rather than to claim an inconsiderable coin production". In that way the total number of 'experimental' coins would likely have been counted in a strongroom audit in 1921 before making their way into circulation.