New South Wales 1813 15 pence
The first specimen was lot 441 in Stack's Bowers ANA auction (Chicago, August 2014), where it did not sell. The catalog description[1] noted,
"AUSTRALIA. New South Wales. 15 Pence or "Dump", 1813. PCGS EF-45 Secure Holder. Finest Certified New South Wales 'Dump' VERY RARE. Part of the first series of coins minted for, and in, the British settlement of New Holland 'Australia'. Struck in 1813 and issued in 1814, during the governorship of Lachlan Macqua[ri]e. Described by Mira and Noble in their standard reference as 'Pride of place in any collection of Australian colonial coinage'. This RARE issue circulated for a short period of time as they were recalled in 1829 when they were ordered to be replaced with 'English Specie' which brought their circulation to an end. The recalled coins were shipped to the Royal mint where the bulk of the original issue of almost 40,000 was melted down.
Excellent quality for type and the finest example graded by either PCGS or NGC. A boldly struck example with attractive toning that exhibits shades of greys and blues with lighter tones around the devices. Traces of the original coin are visible on the obverse. Struck over the central portion of a Spanish colonial portrait 8 Reales with some details of the arms of Castile and Leon visible. A diagonal die break is present from the rim through the second '1' of the date to just below the crown. An exceptional example that any collector would be proud to own. One of the finest known specimens. Pedigree: Ex: G.K. Gray Australia 26.2.71 lot 222; Ex: Spink Australia sale 17 lot 1033."
The second specimen was lot 42001 in Stack's Bowers ANA sale (Chicago, August 2024), where it sold for $11,400. The catalog description[1] noted, "The "Dump" Coinage of New South Wales, AUSTRALIA. New South Wales. 15 Pence ("Dump"), 1813. George III. PCGS VG-10. A VERY RARE type for this already elusive series, the present specimen displays broad evidence of circulation, but nevertheless retains all of its rather spartan design facets as well as an enchantingly wholesome nature. A tremendous opportunity for the advanced collector of the series.Owing to the extreme shortage of coinage in Australia, the government in New South Wales secured some 40,000 Spanish colonial 8 Reales to repurpose. Each crown-sized coin was holed out, with the large denomination serving as a "5 Shillings" piece, and the small denomination--the hole itself--serving as "15 Pence" piece. As the resulting denominations were both worth more within New South Wales than anywhere else (owing to their reduced silver than what would be expected elsewhere), the hope was that this necessity coinage would not leave the colony and cause another shortage. Ultimately, these pieces circulated heavily for a decade until a supply of British coinage arrived at significant enough levels to satisfy demand. At that point, the "Holey Dollar" and the "Dump" were withdrawn, leaving few survivors to satisfy collector demands today."
Recorded mintage: unknown.
Specification: silver, 0.896 fine.
Catalog reference: KM-1.3; Mira/Noble-type D/2. The second specimen is KM-1.4; Mira-E/3.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- McDonald, Greg, The Pocket Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes, 23rd ed., Lavington, Australia, 2017.
- Pitt, Michael, Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values, 32nd Edition, Matraville, New South Wales, Australia: Renniks Publications, 2023.
- [1]Ponterio, Richard, The August 2014 Chicago ANA Auction: Ancient Coins, World Coins & Paper Money, Featuring the David O'Harrow Collection, Irvine, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2014.
- [2]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, August 2024 Global Showcase Auction, World & Ancient Coins, featuring The Emilio M. Ortiz Collection, The Richard Margolis Collection and The Rutherford Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2024.
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