We often find interesting and unique items in collections that we value and buy. We recently bought the below Florin in a collection and think we will name it the Melbourne Centenary Holey Florin based on a quirky combination of the Melbourne Centenary Florin and one of Australia's rarest coins - the Holey Dollar. The quality of this specific item is a shocker and by far the worst example of this coin we have ever seen so we thought we’d take the opportunity to share a bit more about the history of this commemorative coin.
The 1934/35 Melbourne Centenary Florin was minted in Melbourne and sold through Foy and Gibson Department Stores in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. It is a desirable scarcity composed of 92.5% Silver and 7.5% Copper. It was originally released to the public to assist in covering costs for the Victorian Centenary celebrations.
We have extremely fine examples of the Melbourne Centenary Florin currently valued at $495, and an uncirculated one in the rare Foys bag for $1500.
Wherever you are on your collecting journey we always encourage you to do your homework – be aware that many of these coins offered elsewhere on the internet are modern Chinese forgeries. At Shields Stamps and Coins we guarantee the authenticity of every coin we sell.
The RENNIKS Australian Coin and Banknote Values edited by Michael Pitt (33rd Ed) is a reputable and informative resource on the Commemorative Florins and many other coins. We highly recommend getting your hands on a copy.