1 Penny - George V (Kookaburra Pattern - Type 3)

The 1919 George V Kookaburra pattern penny represents an experimental phase in Australian numismatic history. Following World War I, the Australian government sought to replace the British imperial coinage designs with motifs that better reflected the nation's unique identity. The Melbourne Mint produced a series of pattern coins, including this penny featuring the iconic kookaburra, to test potential new designs for the Australian circulating currency.

The design, featuring a kookaburra perched on a branch, was created by the talented artist W.H.D. Ahearn. While these patterns were praised for their distinctively Australian character and high-quality artistic execution, they were never authorized for general circulation. Instead, the government opted to maintain the standard imperial designs for the time, rendering these pattern strikes exceptionally rare and significant artifacts of a road not taken in Australian design history.