1991 20 Cent Piece - Coin Community Forum

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Author	Replies: 7 / Views: 4,232
Zaggy Valued Member Australia 432 Posts	Posted 10/06/2007 9:10 pm Ask me about German Third Reich stuff and I'm in my element, but Australian coins are not my thing. So, I need a hand here with something. I was under the impression that the 1991 Australian 20 cent piece does not exist. A quick search of net confirms this, as does the official Australian Mint production figures; my only 'official' reference (http://www.ramint.gov.au/about_ram/...lCoins.pdf). BUT, I'm holding a 1991 20 cent piece in my hand here, that I must have gotten in change somewhere in the last week! Anyone here better versed in this than I? Report this Post to the Staff

muckeye Rest in Peace Australia 661 Posts	Posted 10/06/2007 9:43 pm Hi Zaggy, It was issued in Mint sets only in 3 types. UNC,Proof or silver, approx. 188,000 sets issued. Hope that clears up your query .regards, Edited by muckeye 10/06/2007 9:46 pm Report this Post to the Staff
Peter THOMAS Pillar of the Community Australia 2830 Posts	Posted 10/06/2007 9:49 pm G'day, you have an "escaper". 20-cent coins were not minted for circulation from 1986 to 1992. However, small numbers were minted during those years to make up the "Mint sets" which make a great souvenir of a visit to Canberra (along with a dose of frostbite; or having your eyes shrink in their sockets from the westerly winds - depending upon the time of year ...). So, someone - a philistine of low birth, and no doubt uneducted, even by their standards - has broken a set and put the coins into circulation. It might be worth a bit, but it makes a great discussion-piece in a collection, so I'd certainly hang on to it. But if you really don't want it, I could make a good home for it in Darwin. Peter Report this Post to the Staff
Zaggy Valued Member Australia 432 Posts	Posted 10/06/2007 10:12 pm Thanks guys... That was fast! Muckeye: I'm assuming there is no difference in the UNC, Proof or silver sets? The dies were the same? (and this coin is very definatly NOT UNC now! MIGHT just scrape in as aXF, else gVF)... Peter: Yes, I cant understand why ppl would break a mint set! BUT if it was nicked, or a gift for a kid I can see HOW it could escape. As for Canberra, yeah, thats about all I can remember of it, the number of times Ive been there. Cold, Windy and Dull (apologies to any Canberra ppl here, but your town is far from Ideally located!), hard to find fun too! As for hanging on to it, I intend to now! Its going to look weird next to all my Third Reich stuff tho. Youre very right about it being a discussion piece! Probably one of VERY FEW circulated 1991 20 cent pieces by the sound of it. We've established I'm keeping it; so now this is purely hypothetical (and for Bragging rights!) as I know very little about Australian Decimal: Whats it worth? Report this Post to the Staff
Sap Moderator Australia 16806 Posts	Posted 10/07/2007 12:15 am The proof cupronickel and proof silver 20¢ coins should have a cameo, frosted appearance; the mint set coin would look like a normal circulation-strike coin. I think the general rule of thumb for circulated NCLT is 60% to 80% of the value quoted in the catalogues for undamaged examples. According to the latest Renniks, the CV for the Unc 1991 20¢ is $18, making your coin around the $10 to $14 range. Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis Report this Post to the Staff
Zaggy Valued Member Australia 432 Posts	Posted 10/07/2007 02:09 am Cheers Sap... No, its definately not the Frosted Proofs; Just looks like a Run-of-the-Mill Cupro-Nickel 20¢ piece. Thanks for that, mate... :) Interestingly tho, the Rim is definately more prominent on this coin, than every other 20¢ I've looked at (I've gone thru my change tin, and looked at about 100 of them today! hahahahaa) and the coin edge 'feels' different too. It's a strange coin, sitting in my collection now, admidst a variety of Reichsmarks and Reichspfennigs! Thank you all for you help... :) Report this Post to the Staff
Brissyboy Valued Member Australia 335 Posts	Posted 10/07/2007 05:42 am Hi Zaggy, The other guys have pretty well covered this matter. The RAM basicly withdrew the 20c for issue from 1983. Even though many millions of coins dated 1983 and 1984 were struck they appear to have been scrapped with only a few rolls surviving as well as the coins in Mint Sets. RAM did stike some 2,700,000 in 1985 with the new obverse effigy of the Queen and in 1988 they struck 174,000 but it is believed these were also scrapped. Funny enough, I have found a 1988 20c in circulation just like your 1991. Was it from these 174,000 or a mint set, I can't tell but I kept it. In 1994 the RAM again struck the Platypus 20c for circulation but it was only struck in 1995 for the Mint Sets as the 50 years of the United Nations 20c was issued in 1995 for circulation. The 20c is certainly an interesting issue to collect with Mint varieties occurring in 1966 and 1981 and die varieties in 2001 and 2004. The Proof issues have even more varieties than the circulation issues. Wayne Report this Post to the Staff
Zaggy Valued Member Australia 432 Posts	Posted 10/07/2007 08:25 am Its amazing these things end up in circulation! You'd think someone, even an uneducated a philistine of low birth managed, that managed to get their hands on a Mint Set would try and flog it to coin shop for more than the face value, rather than just spending the 20¢! When I think about the number of ppl I have heard asking if their Zinc WW2 Nazi coin (corroded and scratched to hell), I can't understand how ppl can crack open mint sets rather than asking a coin person! BTW, the 1988 sounds like a good score! Report this Post to the Staff
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