Australia Elizabeth II Perth Mint 1958 Penny Proof FDC

Prestigious, historic and rare, we are delighted to present the Perth Mint’s 1958 Penny Proof!

Magnificent to behold ‘in the flesh’, Perth Mint Predecimal Proofs are underpinned by entrancing orange hues, with flawless fields playing host to razor-sharp designs. However, despite the fact that these are some of the finest coins ever created in Australia, the 1955-63 Collector Proof Coin Program is defined just as much by extreme rarity. The coin before you illustrates both traits perfectly.

Notable for the extraordinarily low mintage of 1,028, the 1958 Penny Proof presented here unites acutely detailed designs with blazing orange surfaces. It has clearly been well looked after, and stored carefully over the near 70 years since struck. This was not always the case with Perth Mint Predecimal Proofs, however. Suffering exposure to air and unwanted handling, most such coins are no longer ‘first quality’. Some estimate that as few as 30-40% remain in original, first-class condition, as here.

As with all ‘first quality’ Perth Mint Predecimal Proofs, the 1958 Penny is very rare today – and yet remains surprisingly affordable! A wonderful opportunity to become part of Australia’s first collector Proof program, we have just one example available. Click add to cart!

The Heritage of Australia’s Proof Currency

In the modern age, collectors are used to the Royal Australian Mint issuing Proof examples of Australia’s traditional circulating coinage in significant numbers. Every year, thousands of people have the chance to enjoy our beloved, iconic coins, struck to the highest possible quality. This wasn’t always the case…

Traditionally, mints both in Australia and elsewhere around the world struck Proof coinage for very specific reasons – and catering for the broader collector market wasn’t one of those reasons. Proof examples of coins were struck for government institutions, for archival purposes, for institutions such as museums, and to distribute to other mints. As a result, these coins were struck in the tiniest of numbers, with mintages of less than 10 pieces a regular occurrence. As the global collector market began to grow, however, so did pressure to strike Proof coinage in more substantial numbers.

In Australia, there were a few Proof issues for collectors in the pre-WWII era – the 1927 Canberra Florin Proof, for example – but the number struck was still minuscule. In the 1950s, however, Treasury bowed to collector and dealer pressure and sanctioned the striking of Proof coins as part of an ongoing commercial venture. Government insisted on intervening in just one aspect – only those coins being struck by a mint for circulation could be issued as Proofs.

For the Perth Mint, tasked only with producing Australian copper coins, this meant the striking of penny and halfpenny Proofs only. From the launch of the Collector Proof Coin Program in 1955 until its conclusion in 1963, just prior to the changeover to decimal currency, the Perth Mint attained a level of excellence with its Proof coinage that was the equal of any mint in the world.

Magnificent to behold, the coins are glorious. Underpinned by a rich array of orange hues, and notable for the impeccably smooth background fields and highly detailed designs, Perth Mint Proofs rank as some of the finest coins ever produced in Australia. Struck in the tiniest numbers, and with many lost or mishandled in the many decades since issue, Perth Mint Predecimal Proofs also rank among the rarest.

The nation’s very first annual Proof coin series, the Collector Proof Coin Program, forms one of the most important elements of Australia’s currency heritage. This is your chance to be a part of it.