The 1954 Royal Visit Florin
|
Obverse |
Queen Elizabeth II - Mary Gillick Legend : ELIZABETH . II. DEI . GRATIA . REGINA . F : D : |
|
Reverse |
British lion and Australian kangaroo - William Leslie Bowles Legend: Australia Florin 1954 |
|
Composition |
50% Silver, 40% Copper, 5% Zinc, 5% Nickel |
|
Mass |
11.31 g |
|
Size |
28.5 mm (1 1/8") |
|
Actual Silver Weight (ASW) |
0.1818 tr.oz. |
|
Mintage |
2,000,000 |
This Australian florin was struck in 1954 to commemorate the visit to Australia of Queen Elizabeth II. On 3rd Feb 1954 Queen Elizabeth II stepped ashore becoming the first ruling monarch to ever visit the country. There was much discussion at the time over the simple design of the British lion and the Australian kangaroo standing shoulder to shoulder. There is no mention of the royal visit in the design and it was said at the time that the coin looked like it could have been a "zoo token". The 1954 Royal Visit 2/- was struck at the Melbourne Mint.
These coins are still very affordable in the higher grades. However, the large fields on the reverse make them susceptible to mishandling and bagmarks. There are the designers initials WLB above the date which might help identify a weak strike. Stronger strike examples will show more definition in the kangaroo and lion's eyes.