Australian pre-decimals - finds

[loamer]

Speaking to Moderator Nugget yesterday we got to chatting about coin finds, which I generally don't go out of my way to do. While searching the family farm some years ago with a 2200, I was helping my bro look for runs/junctions of water pipes around the old farmhouse/dairy. At right angles to the back of the house, close to an old fence strainer, the 2200 gave off a scream that was non-ferrous and in an old glass jam jar - up popped these. The list is:

Florins
1917 = 1
1943 - 1963 = 15
Shillings
1946 - 1963 = 136

Checked the Australian Silver Coin Value Calculator, gives a weight of 15.725 oz, or $364.72.

No idea as to who or why. It's been our family farm for generations and I can only think old Pop had saved them up. They all stop at 1963. No idea and no-one has an explanation. All in good condition except the 1917 Florin which is worn - we seem to think he may have carried it in WW1 as a keep sake and its the only early one there.

 

[ANGRE7]

amazing! we can only dream of finds like that. Great to see you can put some history to them aswell

 

[Redfin]

Very nice Loamer.
This morning not far from Murderer's Hill I found what appears to be a threepence.
I can make out the crown and the number 3 [quite large] and 18??
Will research tonight on how to clean a coin.
It is very thin and about the size of the old 1 cent coin, smaller than the latest threepence was [ from memory]

 

[New Digger]

Awsome find Loamer

 

[Silver_Fox]

Wow, nice find!
It's something I would like to happen to me, to find a nice stash of old coins, preferably gold sovereigns... not being choosey or nothing

Can only dream....

 

[loamer]

As I said to Nugget yesterday, I did not even think too much about it until I spotted the finds in the coin shooting posts. I have only ever found a few shillings, sixpences and tokens on the goldfields and I dream of finding a sovereign. I do recall a story of a valuable sovereign that was marked when dug up and it decreased its value as a collectable coin a lot. I have had a couple of pick strikes on nuggets due to stupidly digging to close to the target.

 

[Scoopa]

That's a great silver hoard find loamer!

 

[BSellin]

That's an awesome find there. My family has a farm out north west of Brisbane in the mountains. Turns out there were two farm houses. The one I went to visit as a child and then a much older farm house 100m away (that's now nothing but stumps and old walls) that my grand and great gran parents used and operated dairy cattle from.

Am counting down the days till I can have a relic hunt around it.

 

[Philski]

wow that is a fantastic lot of silver coins to find Loamer. Top stuff

They didnt make any Florins or shillings or Sixpence in 1964, so 1963 is the last date on them. Only threepence, half pennys and pennys where minted in 1964. The last year of production before decimal in 1966. I guess they had enough in circulation and we're running them down before the introduced the new currency.

have a great night
Phillip

 

[loamer]

Phillip - that makes sense, thankyou for the info.

BSellin - The farm now has a rotary dairy and is ultra modern and a lot bigger herd. Pop had a herring-bone dairy where you worked under the cows while they were milked. As kids we learnt to dodge cow shxt etc and also learnt advanced swearing from Pop, Dad and my Uncles. I did other searches around the old farm house and wandered under the old gum tree where we used to play as kids and my kids and my grandkids play. Found generations worth of lost matchbox cars, marbles (my brother used to use ball-bearings the cheat), dolls eyes, soldiers and some coins (not many) - mainly pennies. Found what appears to be some lost bits of Mechano - little bolts and a few of the little punched metal sheets. Also did the old gardens - found an old trowel and a few things and under the old clothes line, Nan's pegs were wooden so no luck there! It was great fun and very much memory lane time.

 

[Heatho]

Jackpot.

 

[kleinman98]

Just keep an eye out for a 1930 penny. Worth about $45000 out of the ground or $250000 mint

 

[Roscoe]

That's an amazing find. Its like going back in time with the things you found. A lot of those items would bring back good old memories to you.

 

[loamer]

yes - my bloody brother using painted ball bearings after a definite 'no nuts' call on the marbles circle. Used to smash my aggies by doing bombsies. He used to do a lot of histing too the bxxxstard. We were chatting about it after I found some at Pops and it evolved into a heated discussion even after 40+ years. That and fighting over the end bit of nan's banana cakes.

 

[Roscoe]

I would love to go back were me and my brothers grew up and metal detect there, i am sure we would find lots of things we lost. I no for sure my brother lost his good pocket knife in the paddock. I know one thing, who ever metal detects there one day is going to find a **** load of 22 bullets and air rifle pellets.