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1 Penny - George V Kookaburra Pattern - Type 12a (Renniks 11a)
| Issuer | Australia |
|---|---|
| Year | 1921 |
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| Value | 1 Penny (1⁄240) |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | GEORGE V D.G.BRITT.OMN:REX 1921 (Translation: George V by the Grace of God, King of all the British territories) |
| Reverse description | A kookaburra of improved and enlarged design is depicted perched facing right on a branch, which is positioned in the lower portion of the field. The bird is rendered in finely detailed relief with hatched feather texture throughout the body and wings. The legend AUSTRALIA arcs across the upper field in large raised letters, while ONE PENNY appears in two words along the lower exergual area. The entire design is contained within a square flan with generously rounded corners, characteristic of the experimental penny pattern series. |
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| Additional information |
Australia's interwar penny coinage became a prolonged design controversy. Between 1919 and 1921, the Melbourne Mint produced numerous pattern pennies exploring alternatives to the standard bronze Britannia type, responding to both a chronic copper shortage and ongoing debate about whether the coin's design should reflect Australian rather than British imagery. The kookaburra became a leading candidate, and multiple die configurations were tested — Renniks catalogued at least a dozen distinct pattern types from this program.
The nickel-tin alloy used here was itself part of the evaluation, testing whether a harder, lighter composition might prove more practical than bronze for Australian conditions. The program was ultimately abandoned, and Australia continued striking the familiar bronze penny.