5 Cent Coin
Today we’re looking at 5 rare Australian coins that are worth money, enough money that you’d better be looking at your pocket change or you could actually be letting hundreds of dollars slip through your fingers. Of course these aren’t the ONLY coins you can find in your change that are worth real money, but they are those that you’ve got some chance of actually finding. So how much money are we talking about here? Well, anywhere from 30 times face value to 40,000 times face value. Surely that’s more than enough incentive for anyone to take a look at the coins that pass through their hands!
Sep 15, 2010 US 5 Cents were first called nickels because of their metal content; 75% Nickel, 25% copper, and not because of their denomination. The Shield Nickel was minted from 1866-1883 and designed by James Longracre.
The 2007 Double Obverse (Head) 5 Cent
2007 Double Obverse (Head) 5 Cent Coin
Number 1 on our list of Australian Coins that are worth real money is the Double Header 2007 5 Cent. They are the product of a mint worker deliberately pairing two 2007 heads (obverse) dies and then running the press to mint several hundred or possibly even several thousand coins. Worth $1500+ it’s worth anyone’s time to look at all 2007 dated 5 cent coins and spin them between your fingers and see if they’ve got two heads showing and if those Queen’s heads are rotated 180 degrees. If so, get yourself off to a good coin dealer and get that bad boy authenticated! Read this article to learn more about the 2007 double header 5 cent.
The Year 2000 $1/10c Mule
The 2007 Double Obverse (Head) 5 Cent. Number 1 on our list of Australian Coins that are worth. Five Cents The five cent coin was first introduced with decimal currency on 14 February 1966. The original reverse design of the echidna on standard circulating coins has not. A nickel is a five-cent coin struck by the United States Mint.Composed of 75% copper and 25% nickel, the piece has been issued since 1866.Its diameter is.835 inches (21.21 mm) and its thickness is.077 inches (1.95 mm).
The Year 2000 $1/10c Mule is the number 2 on our list of Australian Coins that are worth money. The result of an accidental pairing of a 10 cent heads (obverse) die and the normal mob of roos reverse die it’s thought that between 5000-10000 of these coins were minted. Worth from $300-$500 even after circulating for 20 years it’s time well spent looking out for them!
The 1966 Wavy Baseline 20 Cent
Wavy Baseline (Left), Regular Coin (Right)
The Wavy Baseline 20 cent dated 1966 is quite obvious from the wavy baseline on the number 2 on the tails side of the coin. Of course not all 1966 20 cent coins exhibit this feature but the very small fraction that do are worth $250 or more even. That’s even if they have spent more than 50 years circulating since decimal currency was released in 1966! To determine if your 1966 20 cent is a valuable wavy baseline example take a look at our feature article on the coin.
The Year 2010 Upset 50 Cent
Australia 2010 Upset 50c
Some time during the production run of 2010 50 cent coins a coin press operator installed the obverse or reverse die incorrectly. As a result the obverse (heads) side of some coins is rotated 30 degrees from the reverse (tails) side of the coin. It’s thought that perhaps 200,000 of these coins were manufactured and each is worth $50 or more. Read our article featuring the upset 50 cent coin for more information about this interesting and valuable Australian coins.
The Year 2000 Incuse Flag 50 Cent
The year 2000 Millennium 50 cent was released with a fairly difficult to spot die variety. Our article on the variety describes in some detail how to spot the die variety which is called the “Incuse Flag Millenium 50 cent”. Basically the Cross of St. Andrew (the cross with a horizontal and vertical bar) on the Union Jack is incuse or sunk into the coin rather than in relief (sticking out of the surface of the coin) for the normal version of the coin. Worth $50 even circulated the incuse flag 50 cent of the year 2000 is the last of our Australian coins that are worth money.
Other Resources on Valuable Australian Coins
If you’re looking for more information about valuable Australian coins take a look at our article on the top 10 rare Australian Decimal Coins!
US Shield Nickel, V Nickel - Numismatic Information, Coin Values and Images, page 1
This page describes all types of the US 5-Cent Coins and Nickels, and includes their specifics, mintage records, key dates with coin values (in G-4 and EF-40 conditions) and images of a few types (not all) that were recovered at various locations in the North-East USA.
SHIELD TYPE 1866 - 1883
VARIETY 1 - Rays Between Stars on the Reverse, 1866 - 1867
In Dug Condition
Specifications:
5 Cent Coins Value Guide
Diameter: 20.5 mm
Weight: 5 grams or 77.16 grains
Edge: Plain
Composition: 75% copper, 25% nickel
Quantity minted: 14,950,000
Proofs minted: Record incomplete
Mint: Philadelphia
Mint marks: None
Designers: James Longacre
Key Dates and Coin Values:
• 1866 Repunched date; G-4: $40.00, EF-40: $200.00
Average coin values of other dates: G-4 - $15.00, EF-40 - $120.00
VARIETY 2 - Without Rays, 1867 - 1883
Specifications:
Diameter: 20.5 mm
Weight: 5 grams or 77.16 grains
Edge: Plain
Composition: 75% copper, 25% nickel
Quantity minted: 111,413,949
Proofs minted: 23,099
Mint: Philadelphia
Mint marks: None
Designers: James Longacre
Key Dates and Coin Values:
• 1871; G-4: $28.00, EF-40: $100.00
• 1873 Closed 3; G-4: $12.00, EF-40: $80.00
• 1875; G-4: $13.00, EF-40: $45.00
• 1877 Proofs only (510+); EF-40: $1,100
• 1878 Proofs only (2,350); EF-40: $525.00
• 1879 All and 9 over 8; G-4: $235.00, EF-40: $450.00
• 1880; G-4: $275.00, EF-40: $550.00
• 1881; G-4: $150.00, EF-40: $350.00
• 1883 3 over 2; G-4: $85.00, EF-40: $200.00
Average coin values of other dates: G-4 - $12.00, EF-40 - $40.00
LIBERTY HEAD TYPE 1883 - 1912
VARIETY 1 - Without CENTS, 1883 only
Specifications:
Diameter: 21.2 mm
Weight: 5 grams or 77.16 grains
Edge: Plain
Composition: 75% copper, 25% nickel
Quantity minted: 5,479,519
Proofs minted: 5,219
Mint: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco
Mint marks: None
Designers: Charles E. Barber
REVERSE: The absence of the word CENTS on the reverse of this nickel caused it to become the most famous of misdesigned and misused coins. Racketeer Nickels got their name from being gold-plated and passed as Half Eagles. Nothing on the piece gave a hint as to its denomination.
VARIETY 2 - With CENTS, 1883 - 1913
Specifications:
Diameter: 21.2 mm
Weight: 5 grams or 77.16 grains
Edge: Plain
Composition: 75% copper, 25% nickel
Quantity minted: 99,197,920
Proofs minted: 79,921
Mint: Philadelphia, Denver, San Francisco
Mint marks: S and D (1912 only)
Designers: Charles E. Barber
Mint Mark Location
Key Dates and Coin Values:
• 1885; G-4: $250.00, EF-40: $600.00
• 1886; G-4: $85.00, EF-40: $300.00
• 1894; G-4: $8.00, EF-40: $150.00
• 1912S; G-4: $45.00, EF-40: $475.00
• 1913 Liberty Head (5 known); 2001 Auction - $1,840,000
Average coin values of other dates: G-4 - $6.00, EF-40 - $35.00
The story behind the 1913 Liberty Head nickel is one laced in mystery. A coin has passed through the hands of the lowly to the collection of a king to become a million-dollar collectible. To date, no one knows for certain why or when the coins were produced, though Samuel Brown, a former Mint employee, is most often charged with the unauthorized minting.