The silver and gold content of every Australian coin that has any, taken from the Act that set the standard, with the arithmetic shown. You supply the metal price, because this catalogue does not publish prices.
| Coin | In force | Standard weight, as printed | Composition, as printed | Fine metal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sovereign | 1870– | 123·27447 grains; 7·98805 grams | Eleven-twelfths fine gold, one-twelfth alloy; or millesimal fineness 916·66. | 7.32233 g 0.235418 ozt |
| Half sovereign | 1870– | 61·63723 grains; 3·99402 grams | Eleven-twelfths fine gold, one-twelfth alloy; or millesimal fineness 916·66. | 3.66116 g 0.117709 ozt |
| Crown | 1936–1947 | 436.36363 grains; 28.27590 grams | Thirty-seven fortieths fine silver, three-fortieths alloy; or millesimal fineness 925 | 26.15521 g 0.840909 ozt |
| Florin | 1936–1947 | 174.54545 grains; 11.31036 grams | Thirty-seven fortieths fine silver, three-fortieths alloy; or millesimal fineness 925 | 10.46208 g 0.336364 ozt |
| Shilling | 1936–1947 | 87.27272 grains; 5.65518 grams | Thirty-seven fortieths fine silver, three-fortieths alloy; or millesimal fineness 925 | 5.23104 g 0.168182 ozt |
| Sixpence | 1936–1947 | 43.63636 grains; 2.82759 grams | Thirty-seven fortieths fine silver, three-fortieths alloy; or millesimal fineness 925 | 2.61552 g 0.084091 ozt |
| Threepence | 1936–1947 | 21.81818 grains; 1.41379 grams | Thirty-seven fortieths fine silver, three-fortieths alloy; or millesimal fineness 925 | 1.30776 g 0.042045 ozt |
| Crown | 1947–1966 | 436.36363 grains; 28.27590 grams | One-half fine silver, one-half alloy; or millesimal fineness 500 | 14.13795 g 0.454546 ozt |
| Florin | 1947–1966 | 174.54545 grains; 11.31036 grams | One-half fine silver, one-half alloy; or millesimal fineness 500 | 5.65518 g 0.181818 ozt |
| Shilling | 1947–1966 | 87.27272 grains; 5.65518 grams | One-half fine silver, one-half alloy; or millesimal fineness 500 | 2.82759 g 0.090909 ozt |
| Sixpence | 1947–1966 | 43.63636 grains; 2.82759 grams | One-half fine silver, one-half alloy; or millesimal fineness 500 | 1.41379 g 0.045455 ozt |
| Threepence | 1947–1966 | 21.81818 grains; 1.41379 grams | One-half fine silver, one-half alloy; or millesimal fineness 500 | 0.70690 g 0.022727 ozt |
| Fifty cents | 1966–1969 | 205 grains | Four-fifths fine silver, one-fifth other metal | 10.62702 g 0.341667 ozt |
It will not tell you what your coin is worth. Metal value is a floor, not a price. A coin that is scarce, or in unusual condition, or carries a documented variety, is worth more than its metal to somebody, and this catalogue has no honest way to say how much.
It will not pretend your coin weighs what the law says. The figures above are the statutory standard for a new coin. A coin that has been in pockets for fifty years has lost metal to wear, and the Acts themselves allow a tolerance, called a remedy, on the day of striking. Weigh yours if the difference matters.
It will not quote you a metal price. Prices move; a number baked into a page is wrong by the afternoon. The box above is empty on purpose.
Every other Australian denomination is bronze, cupro-nickel or aluminium bronze, and its metal is worth very little: Penny, Halfpenny, Twenty cents, Ten cents, Five cents, Two cents, One cent, Fifty cents, One dollar, Two dollars. The catalogue records their statutory composition too, but the Acts describe those alloys only as “copper and nickel” or “mixed metal, copper, tin and zinc”, without percentages, so no fine metal weight can honestly be derived from them.