Can anybody tell me what is the deal with this coin? I looked around on the net a little bit but didn't find anything. Its a 1943 Australian Shilling with the normal rams head reverse. The obverse is completely flat and blank, as if it were never struck at all. Is this normal, abnormal, or likely altered for some reason? Any idea on the value? Sorry, I don't know how to grade a coin with no obverse :smile
Pictures would help. First thing I would do is weigh it, it should weigh 5.65 grams any major variation from this weight would suggest post mint tampering. If real it is 92.5 silver.
Here are a couple pics. If the coin was altered, it was done over 25 years ago. There are some other coins that were stored with it, including (3) Australia six pence coins 1935, 1943, and 1943 (1) ??? six pence coin, 1944 (1) Australia florin, 1944 (1) Canada 25 cents, 1940 (1) "Filipinas" fifty centavos, marked with United States of America on reverse, 1944
Interesting, the edge still looks fairly nice and intact from this shot. It's hard to tell if the obverse looks altered though from the picture. I have a King George V Australia 6d that looks similar but has no reverse instead of no obverse, but the blank side looks quite similar to yours. I wish I had a proper answer for you.
I have the same coin! I have been looking all over the net for info as well. its an Austraila Shilling 1943 w/rams head on one side and completely blank on the other side. I had been going through some of my late grandfather's things and found a jar of coins his brother had collected from around the world while in the service. they all date from 1901-mid 1940s. I thought the most unusual one was this shilling with only one printed side. I would love any other info anyone may come across. thanks -cef
Years ago the silver coin were sanded/polished to remove one edge of a coin to make a love token. It may symbolize a date someone may have wanted to cherish. Birth, death, marriage, first meeting year and given to someone to remember an event. A way to tell is if their are initials/markings to denote the event. Some may have made one and then removed the event notice on the side affected. But when this happens the rim on the affected site is removed, thus showing that the coin was altered. Hope this helps.
Weighing the coin is the best way to be sure. Australian shillings of the time period were popular for love tokens, but a mint error like that wouldn't be unheard of (there were LOTS of mint errors during the war because so many skilled machinists had been drafted or killed).
