Photos used with permission and courtesy of CoinWorks

The 1930 Proof Australian copper penny, the world’s “most valuable” copper coin, will appear alongside a range of Australia’s rare coins at the Dollars & Dumps Exhibition display Tuesday November 27th- Friday November 30th at a historic ANZ bank branch in Collins Street in Melbourne, Australia.

One of just six of its kind, the Proof 1930 Penny, was created as a work of art not intended as currency, exhibition coordinator Belinda Downie said.

“The original intention of striking a proof coin was to go in government vaults to preserve for history,” said Ms Downie, managing director of Melbourne-based coin dealer Coinworks.

“A lot of the mints would send their proof coins overseas, almost like a showpiece … not advertising as such, but to brag……For decades, Australia’s Proof 1930 Penny has always been the world’s most expensive copper coin.”

The private owner of the coin to be exhibited has been approached to sell, but declined, Ms Downie said. All six Proof 1930 Pennies that were created are worth between $1 million and $1.2 million.

One is held by the British Museum, a second by the Museum of Victoria, and a third by the Art Gallery of South Australia, according to the Coinworks website. The others are held by private collectors.

Apart from the Proof 1930 Penny, The Dollars and Dumps Exhibition will also feature coins from the period 1813 to 1900 and include a selection of Australia’s first locally-produced coins, known as ‘Holey Dollars’ and ‘Dumps’. They include a coin that was first minted in 1788, the same year that the First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay. Also featured will be examples of the historic 1852 Adelaide Pound (our first gold coin) and the first coin to depict an indigenous Australian, the famous 1860 Aborigine Threepence.

This stunning collection has been brought together by leading coin dealership Coinworks, under the direction of its Managing Director Belinda Downie, with ANZ. Media are invited to take advantage of this unique opportunity to see this display and talk to Belinda Downie, Australia’s foremost authority on rare indigenous coins. Public entry to the exhibition is by gold coin donation; proceeds will go to Whitelion - supporting young people to build better lives for themselves.