1951 Perth Proof Halfpenny (No dot) PCGS PR63RB

Obverse: Bust of George VI to left, legend around.

"I" in FIDEI sits between denticles, therefore Obverse 5

Reverse: Kangaroo to left date; denomination and legend around

Sharply struck and with lustre in the devices either side.

The 1951 halfpenny from the Perth Mint is one of a very small number of Australian copper coins from the KGVI era to have inspired detailed amounts of study by a number of different numismatists.

This is because not only were 2 different reverse dies used at the Perth Mint to strike halfpennies in 1951, 2 different obverse dies were used also.

Rather than re-hash already-published information here, if you'd like to read more about the different dies used during this period, and more to the point why some of those die pairings are rarer than others), click this link to read the definitive article on the subject by Dr Peter Andrews.

Additional research by Paul Holland into the die records of the Perth Mint during this period shows that all 1951-dated halfpennies struck by the Perth Mint were in fact struck early in 1952. "It is now clear that all of the 1951 "no dot" halfpenny dies were prepared in Perth in 1952."  [1]

It is interesting to note that the 1951 halfpenny reverse dies were among the very first dies produced by Perth Mint staff.

One of Just 2 Sighted In the Past 40 Years

When it comes to proof coins such as this example, my research into auction results shows that just 5 different 1951 proof halfpennies have been sighted at auction over the past 4-5 decades. Of those 5 coins, only one of them was the "no dot" variety, each of the others had the dot after the written denomination.

As you can see from the image below, my hand-written note in the catalogue stated that I believed it to have a "deep chocolate" patina, and that it had been rubbed.

If that accurately reflects the fact that the surfaces are no longer in original condition, this could well be the only proof 1951 Perth halfpenny of this type that will qualify for grading with PCGS.

Footnotes:

[1] Journal of the Numismatic Association of Australia Inc; Volume 10; page 32.

Click the PCGS icon below to verify the certificate details for this coin directly on the PCGS website.

PCGS Certificate Number: 80447853

SKU: 6016