Obverse: identify the front

The photographed obverse shows the bare head of George VI facing left, with HP initials near the neck truncation. The surrounding legend includes GEORGIVS VI and IND IMP. The reference credits the portrait design to T. H. Paget. Include the complete rim and lettering in identification photographs: a George VI portrait by itself does not distinguish this Australian crown from other countries or denominations.

Reverse: identify the back

The reverse has a large crown above 1937 and ONE CROWN, surrounded by COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA. The small KG initials appear beside the crown. The reference credits the reverse design to George Kruger Gray. Read both the country and ONE CROWN; Australian florins, shillings and other royal-portrait coins have different masses and silver amounts. The supplied reverse is a genuine 1937 working strike rather than a reconstructed or generated design.

History and purpose

Museums Victoria describes the Australian crown as introduced in 1937 to commemorate George VI’s coronation and identifies this object as a Melbourne working strike, NU33026. The reference KM34 lists dated issues in 1937 and 1938. The two-year crown type belongs to Australia’s predecimal coinage. Its five-shilling denomination should not be confused with a modern Australian five-dollar issue or a British crown bearing another country’s design.

How to identify this variant

Look for COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA, ONE CROWN, the date 1937 or 1938, and the left-facing George VI portrait. The reference’s nominal reference is 28.28 g, 38 mm diameter and a reeded edge. Record actual mass, diameter and edge photographs separately from those reference figures. The museum’s measured object differs slightly from the nominal figures, as disclosed in the methodology. A portrait, date or bright silver appearance alone does not establish authenticity or alloy.

Understanding its metal content

One matching crown contributes .841 reference fine silver troy ounce. Three crowns total 2.523 reference ounces and 84.84 nominal gross grams. The mass product is 28.28 g × .925 = 26.159 g nominal silver per coin. This calculator consistently uses the reference’s reported .841-ounce reference rather than silently substituting a different rounded conversion. Gross grams include the alloy; fine troy ounces describe the silver component. Proof status does not create a different metal amount in this sourced type.

Dates, varieties and composition changes

Both issue years are explicitly confirmed: 1937 and 1938. The reference lists a regular issue and a proof row for each year. The following dated finish entries are mintage references, not current prices, rarity guarantees or grades. The (m) notation is the reference’s Melbourne mint code; do not assume that parenthetical code appears as a literal mint mark on the photographed coin.

The reference crown issue years and finishes

1937 regular issue

The reference lists 1,008,000. The museum photograph represents a 1937 working strike.

1937 proof

The reference lists 100. Proof identification and condition require their own appraisal.

1938 regular issue

The reference lists 102,000. The date must be read from the actual coin.

1938 proof

The reference lists 250. A proof listing does not identify a customer coin as proof.

Melt value versus collector value

Keep 1937 and 1938 crowns identified separately, and preserve any credible proof attribution, provenance, grading documentation and original packaging. The dated table shows different mintages for the two years and finishes, but a metal calculator cannot establish a collector premium or sale price. The illustrated NU33026 object is a working strike, not a proof. Avoid cleaning surfaces to imitate the reference photographs; send unusual or attributed pieces for an individual assessment before treating them as a bulk silver lot.

Authenticity and condition

Provide photographs of both complete faces, the date and country lettering, plus an edge view. Measure actual mass and diameter with suitable tools and report those measurements rather than copying nominal specifications. Correct weight is one useful check, but plated copies, altered coins and replicas require further examination. Keep unresolved pieces outside the counted lot until their identity and composition have been assessed. These photographs illustrate a documented museum coin; they do not authenticate another example.

Selling this coin

Separate Australian crowns from smaller Australian silver denominations, British crowns and modern commemoratives. Count only matching 1937 or 1938 crowns here. The existing photo-appraisal form can carry the selected coin and quantity; include both faces, actual measurements and any proof or variety information. Dollar melt pricing is unavailable until an approved live feed is connected. Reference metal content is educational and is not an offer, a guaranteed assay or a collector valuation.

Sources and calculation methodology

The reference’s selected melt table and KM34 type both report 28.28 g gross mass, .925 silver fineness and .841 fine silver troy ounce. KM34 gives 38 mm diameter and a reeded edge. Museums Victoria measures its photographed individual 1937 working strike at 28.18 g and 38.5 mm, with a milled edge; those specimen observations do not replace nominal calculator inputs. The reported ASW is a rounded reference, not an assay of a customer's coin. Rounded mass multiplied by fineness and converted to ounces need not reproduce every ASW digit. No thickness has been verified. Both years and both finish rows were read from the reference’s annual KM34 table. No future dates or later replicas are included. Museums Victoria identifies the photographed object and its designers and mint. Each image-specific caption independently credits Naomi Andrzejeski and permits CC BY 4.0 reuse. WebP conversion preserves the original 714 × 800 dimensions, ruler and genuine coin surfaces without upscaling or design alteration. The two dated finishes share the same type reference; no unsupported metal variant has been invented.

Common questions

References

• NGC: Australian silver crown melt reference — identity; weight 28.28 g; fineness .925; ASW .841 oz; 1937 and 1938 scope (checked 2026-10-11)
• NGC: Australia crown KM34 dated issues and specifications — identity; dates: actual 1937 and 1938 issues and regular/proof mintages; weight; fineness; ASW; diameter; design, designers and reeded edge (checked 2026-10-11)
• Museums Victoria: 1937 Australian crown NU33026 — identity; design; Melbourne mint; coronation context; genuine working-strike photograph; object weight and diameter distinct from nominal (checked 2026-10-11)

Issue-year references

• NGC: Australia crown KM34 dated issues and specifications

Content maintained by CashForCoins. Last substantive record update: 2026-10-11. Report a specification or attribution issue through our contact page.

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