Australian florin San Francisco mint varieties

 

Florin 1942 mint mark varieties

According to John Dean, there are three varieties of the San Francisco 1942 coin which differ according to the position of the mint mark. My own observations indicate that there are at least five varieties and probably many more.
It is almost certain that the mint mark was hand-punched onto each working die in which case each die is likely to be slightly different from its siblings and the examples shown above are just representative of the variations to be found in the 1942 San Francisco striking.

 

Type 1

Mint mark is very high and most of the upper curve of the S is outside the exergue.

 

 

Type 2

Mint mark is moderately high and the upper part of the S spans the exergue boundary.

 

 

Type 3

Top of S just touches the boundary of the exergue. This seems to be the most common variety.

 

 

Type 4

S is entirely within the exergue but almost touches the boundary. This seems to be the second most common variety.

 

 

Type 5

S is very low and there is a substantial gap between the top of the S and the boundary of the exergue.

 

 

Florin 1943 mint mark varieties

1942 florins struck in San Francisco, the 1943 coins don't seem to show much variation in the position of the mint mark. I have found two positions, and of course there may be more. There is also a trivial variety arising from a die fault.

 

Type 1

A normal mint mark which appears on all 1943 florins minted in San Francisco.

 

 

Type 2

A mint mark position variety. The S is slightly further to the right. Less common than the variety illustrated above but by no means scarce.

 

 

Type 3

A minor variety caused by a die fault. The protrusion which punches the lower loop of the S has broken off. This seems to be a common error and probably does not add value to the coin.