Australia 1966 Specimen Fifty Cent ex Nugget Coombs Estate PCGS SP63
| We Last Sold This Item For: | $2,750.00 |
|---|---|
| Last Sold On: | 17/4/2020 |
| # Sold In Past 12 Months: | 0 |
Australia 1966 Specimen Fifty Cent ex Nugget Coombs Estate
Obverse: Machin portrait of Elizabeth II to right;
Reverse: Australian national coat of arms
Purity: 80% Weight: 13.28g Nett: 0.3417ozt
Provenance:
Lot #6629, Status International Auction 355 (18th October 2019). Estimate: $1,500, Hammer: $1,500, Nett: $1788.75.
Lot #1957, Downie's (Australian Coin Auctions) Auction 267 (28th October 1998). Estimate: $600, Hammer: $800, Nett: $880.
A truly exclusive memento of the introduction of Australia's decimal currency.
Herbert Cole “Nugget” Coombs is best known to numismatists as the first Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, and by extension as a signatory on Australia's banknotes for several decades. In the broader community, Coombs is highly regarded for a much wider range of significant civic contributions across several diverse areas.
Many numismatists will be surprised to learn that Coombs' working life both before and after he was a signatory on our banknotes spanned no less than five different decades. Coombs had been in full-time employment for 22 years before becoming Governor of the Commonwealth Bank and remained active for 27 years after he retired from the Reserve Bank of Australia.
Coombs held several key government roles during World War II, as well as during the period of economic recovery that followed.
Coombs was Australia's most senior banking official when our nation's central banking operations were transferred to the Reserve Bank of Australia, as well as during the transition to decimal currency in 1966.
Coombs is recognised as also having made significant contributions to education, the arts and indigenous rights during his lifetime - his contributions were so instrumental, he was described by former Prime Minister Bob Hawke as “one of the most important Australians this century.”
According to Martin Greive (the cataloguer of the Coombs banknotes when handled by Goodmans auctioneers in 1998), Coombs did receive a set of QEII specimen notes from 1961 (with the Reserve Bank legend), they were not found at the time his assets were auctioned off.
After interviewing Coombs' secretary and family, the auctioneers determined that it was most likely that Coombs had given the set away to a Central Bank dignitary visiting Sydney, as something of a souvenir. Coombs apparently had no affection for the note sets he was presented and filed them away as soon as he received them.
In contrast, the surfaces of this coin show that it was stored with care for a number of decades. It will appeal to collectors looking to build a comprehensive collection of memorabilia relating to the introduction of decimal currency, as well as collectors seeking a direct link to one of Australia's most respected citizens.
Click the PCGS icon below to verify the certificate details for this coin directly on the PCGS website.
PCGS Certificate Number: 38676535
SKU: 22420
Browse our catalog of Australian 50 Cent Coins below:
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