Australia, George V Calcutta Mint Penny

Although Yugoslavia was created in the aftermath of World War 1, it did not become the country’s official name until 1929 when King Alexander I installed a personal dictatorship to promote a more centralised state. Until then it was known as the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes and the old Serbian dinar was introduced to all the regions gained from the Austrian Empire in 1920. These 1 and 2 dinar coins we are now offering, minted in 1925, bear the portrait of the king on the obverse side with his then official title of King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes.

Many will have heard of the “Godless florin” in 1849, but perhaps not as many will know that something similar happened in Canada in 1911. The “Dei Gratia” part of the legend on the obverse side was removed from Canadian coins in 1911, the first year of issue for the new King George V. This caused such a public uproar over the “godless” coins that it was reinstated on Canadian coinage the following year. We have a small number of these interesting coins available in Very Fine condition, which we can off er along with one of the more “godly” large cents issued between 1912 and 1920.