Australian Florin Obverse Master Dies
The florin offers eight useful obverse types across the standard and commemorative series, including dedicated dies for the 1927 Canberra and 1934–35 Melbourne Centenary issues.
Obverse Master Die Types
Eight types are represented, including two dedicated commemorative obverses.
Obverse 1 — 1910
Australia’s first florin carried Edward VII. George W. de Saulles prepared this single-year portrait before the series moved to George V.
Obverse 2 — 1911–1936
Sir Edgar B. Mackennal’s George V portrait became the regular florin obverse for this long period. The supplied material records no separate obverse die varieties for the standard George V issues.
Obverse 3 — 1927 Canberra
The Canberra commemorative received a dedicated Mackennal obverse rather than relying on the ordinary circulating florin type.
Obverse 4 — 1934–35 Melbourne Centenary
The Melbourne Centenary florin has its own Percy Metcalfe obverse, making it another stand-alone commemorative master-die type.
Obverse 5 — 1938–1950
Thomas Humphrey Paget’s left-facing George VI portrait introduced a new obverse in 1938 and remained in service through 1950.
Obverse 6 — 1951–1952
The later George VI type is distinguished by a revised royal legend: IND IMP disappeared and F.D. was expanded to FIDEI DEF.
Obverse 7 — 1953–1955
Mary Gillick’s right-facing Elizabeth II portrait introduced the new reign, together with a rim of separate rounded beads.
Obverse 8 — 1956–1963
The later Elizabeth II type retained the Gillick portrait but restored F:D: to the legend and continued through the final florins of 1963.
Australian Florin Minting Reference
This replaces a conventional die-pairing table and matches the known obverse periods with the issuing-mint information available.
| Year / Period | Obverse | Mint | Identifier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | O-1 | London | Edward VII | Single-year issue. |
| 1911–1913 | O-2 | London | George V | Standard issue. |
| 1914 | O-2 | London / Heaton | H below date | Some coins struck by Heaton & Sons. |
| 1915 | O-2 | London / Heaton | H below date | Most of the issue struck by Heaton & Sons. |
| 1916–1923 | O-2 | Melbourne | George V | Regular Melbourne production. |
| 1924–1926 | O-2 | Melbourne / Sydney | None known | The two mints cannot be distinguished by inspection. |
| 1927 standard | O-2 | Melbourne | George V | Regular issue. |
| 1927 Canberra | O-3 | Melbourne | Commemorative | Dedicated Canberra obverse. |
| 1928–1933 | O-2 | Melbourne | George V | Regular issue. |
| 1934–35 Centenary | O-4 | Melbourne | Commemorative | Dedicated Percy Metcalfe obverse. |
| 1935–1936 standard | O-2 | Melbourne | George V | Regular issue. |
| 1938–1941 | O-5 | Melbourne | George VI | First George VI obverse. |
| 1942–1944 | O-5 | Melbourne / San Francisco | S above date | Substantial wartime production at San Francisco. |
| 1945–1950 | O-5 | Melbourne | George VI | First George VI obverse. |
| 1951–1952 | O-6 | Melbourne | Revised legend | Later George VI obverse. |
| 1953–1955 | O-7 | Melbourne | Elizabeth II | Early Elizabeth II obverse. |
| 1956–1963 | O-8 | Melbourne | F:D: restored | Later Elizabeth II obverse. |
Special Issues & Mint Identifiers
Florins include dedicated commemorative obverses as well as several useful reverse-side mint clues.
1914–1915 Heaton: Birmingham coins carry an H below the date. Some 1914 florins and most 1915 florins were produced by Heaton & Sons.
1924–1926: Sydney shared production with Melbourne, but the supplied material records no visible way to distinguish the two mints.
1927 Canberra: This commemorative uses dedicated Obverse 3 rather than the standard George V type.
1934–35 Melbourne Centenary: The commemorative has its own Percy Metcalfe obverse, listed as Obverse 4.
1942–1944 San Francisco: U.S.-struck florins carry an S in the exergue above the date.
Quick Legend
O-1 to O-8 = the eight obverse types shown here.
H = Heaton & Sons, Birmingham | S = San Francisco.
Important: These mint identifiers and commemorative types are attribution aids, not reverse master-die pairings.