1 Penny - Elizabeth II (1st Portrait; without "F:D:")
Australia • 1 Penny • Bronze • 1953
- Denomination
- 1 Penny
- Issuer
- Australia
- Struck
- 1953
- Composition
- Bronze
- Currency
- Pound
- Weight
- 9.45 g
- Diameter
- 30.8 mm
- Catalog refs
- KM 50 · Schön 37
Where to find one
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Where it came from
The 1953 Australian penny, featuring the first portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Mary Gillick, marks a significant transition in Australian numismatics following the death of King George VI. This particular issue is notable among collectors for the omission of the traditional 'F:D:' (Fidei Defensor or Defender of the Faith) title from the monarch's legend, a decision that caused a minor stir in royal circles at the time.
Mary Gillick’s design was chosen for the new reign to depict a youthful and optimistic Queen, moving away from the more formal traditions of previous coinage. The portrait was widely praised for its elegance and remains one of the most recognizable effigies in Commonwealth history. The absence of the religious abbreviation on the initial 1953 striking resulted from a drafting oversight that was subsequently corrected in the following year's production run, making the 1953 version a unique chapter in the story of Australian currency.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
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About 1 Penny - Elizabeth II (1st Portrait; without "F:D:")
1 Penny - Elizabeth II (1st Portrait; without "F:D:") is a coin in the Coins catalog on collecto.rs. Australia • 1 Penny • Bronze • 1953. Catalog data is sourced from Numista. No collectors on collecto.rs publicly track this coin yet — adding yours would make you the first.
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Where does the 1 Penny - Elizabeth II (1st Portrait; without "F:D:") catalog entry come from?
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