Australia -

" HOLEY DOLLAR & DUMP 1813 - 2013."

Special ~ MNH Miniature Sheet.

Mini Sheet with Silver Foiling + Embossing.

Australia Post is celebrating the bicentenary of the Australia's first domestic currency, the "holey dollar and dump", with a new stamp issue. The domestic base-rate (60c) stamp and the large letter-rate ($3) stamp both feature images of the Spanish derived coins.

In 1813 nearly 40,000 examples of the "holey dollar and dump" were manufactured in New South Wales to address a shortage of coins in the new colony.

These coins, derived from Spanish dollars, became the very first coins made for circulation in Australia.

On 26 November 1812, a special shipment of 40,000 coins arrived in the colony of New South Wales from Madras, India. Governor Lachlan Macquarie ordered that the centres be stamped out of these coins, which were then counter stamped around the hole with a new value of five shillings on the reverse and the words "NEW SOUTH WALES 1813" on the front. These were known as the "holey dollars".

The centres that had been removed from the coins were given a value of 15 pence, stamped on the reverse, and a crown and "NEW SOUTH WALES 1813" stamped on the front. These were known as the "dumps".

William Henshall, a pardoned convict, was chosen to cut and counter stamp these coins thus becoming Australia's first mint master. The task took over a year to complete.

The holey dollar and dump coins went into circulation in 1814 and began to be replaced by sterling coinage from 1822. Today around 300 holey dollars and 1,000 dumps remain in private and public collections.

Year: 2013.

(KIJ13).