ozjohn

I think most of them were hoarded as the silver value exceeded the face value. There are still plenty around to buy from dealers at about $ 12 - 15 depending on the silver price. I think Canada issued silver coins in 1966 with the Machin effigy as well.

.A 1966 Australian 50c coin struck in .800 silver dia. 31.3 mm weight 14gm. about the same size and weight as a half crown. They were only issued for one year 1966 and then replaced by a Cu Ni version as illustrated. I suppose this coin gives an idea how an ER II half crown would have looked like if it had been struck in silver. 50 C was 5/- in the old money.

Glad to be of assistance.

If you knew the answer why ask the question ? At least Australian coinage of the 50s & 60s contained 50% silver rather than the Cu Ni coins issued over there. Also the Australian "silver" coins with the exception of the 50 cent coin still retain the size and weight of the old UK imperial coins. Anything else you would like to know? Correct, somebody has to balance your side of the planet .

It's an Australian QE2 florin which for your information were made from 50% silver. The old LSD coins were minted in .500 silver up to 1965. As for politics you have your opinion and I have mine and as Paddy says probably better left out of this forum.

UK and OZ silver coins "rescued" from change in the late 60s early 70s. On the political side I guess you could use a MT in the Brexit negotiations. To be fair TM had the ground cut from under her after the disastrous election result where the UK's position was compromised right from the start. This was about the worst election outcome for the UK since WC was chucked out in 1945 leaving an unprepared Atlee to face Stalin & Trueman in the post WW2 negotiations at Potsdam.

Hi madness, Thanks for that . I'm feeling inspired and will take a look in our local Bunnings. Regards, Ozjohn

Hi Madness, l notice from your post you have managed to find a copy stand for coin photography. I have looked high and low in Oz for one without success although I've seen them on overseas Ebay with very high shipping charges. At present I use a tripod which is less than ideal. If you could let me know where you got your one from I would appreciate it. Thanks

I think this may be a hard one as it is not the name he would have used for him self but a name used by others and the non reflexive form may be correct in this case. I tried it in an English to French translator they gave it as On l' a appele Guilaume the batard. ie they called him William the Bastard using the perfect past rather than the imperfect tense. If the reflexive form of the verb appeller had been used the verb would have used etre as the auxiliary verb rather than avoir. Perhaps if we have a French speaker on the forum they may be able to correct us.

Yes you are right, it's a reflexive verb. s'appeller.

En francais il applait Guillaume le batard.

The way things are going I wouldn't be surprised if Betty outlives Chuck and we will have a Bill or perhaps Guillaume V.

Sorry my mistake.

Interesting fake. If it is genuine it is a poorly minted example with the LH edge of the reverse missing. It's a bit hard to see if there is a mint mark. A 1917RM sovereign commands a high price which makes this coin a target for forgers.

Like I said I was surprised to find at the time difficulty in obtaining a top grade 1929 halfcrown given the mintage for this year was more than double that of the 1935/36 issues.

With the introduction of Australian coins in 1910 the halfcrown ceased to be issued as halfcrowns were not included in the new issues although halfcrowns circulated into the early 1930s but these for the most part would have been the earlier ones. So in answer to your question 1928 etc. halfcrowns were never plentiful in Australia. As for availability of the 1929 halfcrown it was based entirely on my attempt to upgrade the one I had as it seemed difficult at the time to find a top grade example.

It seems that 1935 & 1936 half crowns are far more plentiful than 1928 and 1929 issues and in better condition even though the mintage figures are greater for the earlier issues. As for $US300 for a slabbed 1929 it's crazy. The coins issued in the middle years, with the exception of 1939 & 1934 are fairly plentiful as well again perhaps not quite so easy to obtain in top condition.

Agreed. The price was pretty good as well. My 1929 half crown ( already shown ) on this forum cost more. Not that I regret as it was a nice coin. I can remember Peckris suggesting that I dip this coin. Still a work in progress. You would tink it would be easy to find a decent 1929 halfcrown but when it came down to it there was little choice at a reasonable price. For example when I was looking there was a slabbed 1929 halfcrown offered for more than $US 300

I saw a 1920 or 1922 gold florin a few years ago at a Sydney coin fair. I was told at the time it was struck by the RM as a sample for Egypt.

I have also heard that any coin the RM deems to be not genuine is destroyed which seems harsh if they only give the coin a cursory examination.

Given the price of coins these days I find it hard to believe that an established dealer's turnover is less than GBP 85000 to avoid VAT registration. Maybe that is the case. I know in Australia the ATO is trying to levy GST on online traders so far without success. I will give an example of charging VAT on items sent outside the EU which has nothing to do with coins. Some time ago my wife purchased some items from M&S online and no VAT was deducted even though they were being exported outside the EU. I emailed M&S asking about this and their reply basically was that it was not the policy of the company to reduce the VAT component for sales outside the EU. Where did this money go? To consolidated revenue - I doubt it. To M&S balance sheet- most likely. As I said previously Amazon behaved in an honest way by refunding the VAT component to its customers. All I am saying there is a potential loop hole that can be exploited. This loophole also exists here in Australia and I am sure it is exploited just as much. As mentioned these are in general small amounts but they add up over time. What is going to happen to VAT on items sent to Australia after the UK leaves the EU?

So my question still remains for a VAT registered coin dealer selling to Australia. What happens to the VAT component of the sale? For example Amazon .co.uk when they sent items to Australia removed the VAT component and you received the item at a lower price.

Rob One difference between Australia and the UK. If your turnover is greater than a certain amount you have to have an ABN (Australian Business Number) to trade legally. I think it is a fairly low figure somewhere in the region of $AU 75000 which would include any serious business. This is used by the ATO (Australian Tax Office ) to monitor and audit GST returns.. Perhaps not fool proof but better than the optional system you describe

I guess my question should have been more specific concerning dealers in the UK selling to overseas customers. Is GST/VAT levied on exported items and assuming it is and the advertised price includes GST/VAT what happens to the difference? I assume to the dealer keeps it. This disadvantages the Australian buyer by both the UK VAT and Australian GST which would add up to about 30% above the original tax free UK price. To be fair I suspect the same thing happens when coins are sold to overseas from Australia. The only difference being GST is levied at ten percent in Australia as against twenty percent in the UK so any price increase is about half of the UK. Of course this does not include any tax levied by the Uk but this goes to consolidated revenue not a dealers bottom line. This would not apply to private sellers who often sell below the catalog price with duty being levied by customs of which they have no control over. If anyone thinks I am wrong please say so.

Just a question. When a value of a coin is stated in Spink or Collectors' coins does this include GST/VAT? I am not sure of the answer for Australia either. However if you are exporting a coin from Australia to say the UK exported are not liable for GST although it is now payable on imported items at a rate of 10% . Prior to 1 July 2018 they were GST exempt up to $1000.