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Which Australian Coins Are Silver? Silver Content by Year

Australian silver coins follow three clear steps: sterling silver, then half silver, then a single silver decimal coin. The date on your coin tells you which you have.

For reference only. This guide describes general practice and may not fit every situation. Nothing here is a valuation, or advice on what any coin is worth. Check with your local numismatic expert or coin shop for advice.

Updated October 2026 · tables generated from Numistify’s coin templates

The short answer

Australian threepences, sixpences, shillings and florins dated 1910 to 1945 are sterling silver, .925 fine (the threepence to 1944). From 1946 the same coins were struck in .500 silver, until 1963 for the sixpence, shilling and florin and 1964 for the threepence. After decimalisation in 1966, only one circulating coin was silver: the round 50 cents of 1966, at .800. The other 1966 decimal coins are bronze or cupronickel, and the 50 cents became cupronickel in 1969. The Perth Mint’s Kookaburra (from 1990) and Lunar (from 1996) bullion coins are .999 silver.

Australian silver coins by year

DenominationYearsFinenessSilver (troy oz)KM
Threepence1910.9250.0419KM-18
Sixpence1910.9250.0842KM-19
Shilling1910.9250.1680KM-20
2 Shillings1910.9250.3364KM-21
Threepence1911–1936.9250.0419KM-24
Sixpence1911–1936.9250.0842KM-25
Shilling1911–1936.9250.1680KM-26
2 Shillings1911–1936.9250.3364KM-27
2 Shillings1927.9250.3364KM-31
2 Shillings1934–1935.9250.3364KM-33
Crown1937–1938.9250.8407KM-34
Threepence1938–1944.9250.0419KM-37
Sixpence1938–1945.9250.0842KM-38
Shilling1938–1945.9250.1680KM-39
2 Shillings1938–1945.9250.3364KM-40
Sixpence1946–1948.5000.0455KM-38a
Shilling1946–1948.5000.0908KM-39a
2 Shillings1946–1947.5000.1818KM-40a
Threepence1947–1948.5000.0227KM-37a
Threepence1949–1952.5000.0227KM-44
Sixpence1950–1952.5000.0455KM-45
Shilling1950–1952.5000.0908KM-46
2 Shillings1951.5000.1818KM-47
2 Shillings1951–1952.5000.1818KM-48
Threepence1953–1954.5000.0227KM-51
Sixpence1953–1954.5000.0455KM-52
Shilling1953–1954.5000.0908KM-53
2 Shillings1953–1954.5000.1818KM-54
2 Shillings1954.5000.1818KM-55
Threepence1955–1964.5000.0227KM-57
Sixpence1955–1963.5000.0455KM-58
Shilling1955–1963.5000.0908KM-59
2 Shillings1956–1963.5000.1818KM-60
50 Cents1966.8000.3416KM-67

Not every coin is listed. This table is for reference: it covers the silver coins in Numistify’s catalogue and may not include every coin, date, variety or special issue. If your coin is not here, look it up in a world coin catalogue such as Numista or the Standard Catalog of World Coins, or ask your local coin shop.

Reading the table

Fineness is the share of silver in the coin: .900 means 90% silver. Silver (troy oz) is the pure silver it contains, the figure that sets its metal value — multiply it by the day’s silver price. KM is the coin’s number in the Standard Catalog of World Coins, the quickest way to look it up. Our guide to silver and gold melt value shows the calculation.

Telling them apart

1945 and 1946 are the dates that matter. A shilling of 1945 is .925; a shilling of 1946 to 1963 is .500.

The round 50 cents. A round 50 cents dated 1966 is .800 silver, with about 0.34 troy ounces. The twelve-sided 50 cents that replaced it in 1969 has no silver.

Commemorative florins and the crown. The florins of 1927, 1934–1935, 1951 and 1954 are silver like the regular florins of their year, and the 1937–1938 crown is .925.

Bullion

The Perth Mint’s Kookaburra has been struck in .999 silver since 1990, in sizes from 1/10 ounce to 1 ounce, and the Lunar series since 1996.

CoinSizeYearsFinenessSilver (troy oz)
Kookaburra1 oz1990–.9991.0000
Kookaburra1/10 oz1990–.9990.1000
Kookaburra1/4 oz1990–.9990.2500
Kookaburra1/2 oz1990–.9990.5000
Lunar1 oz1996–.9991.0000

What they are worth

Silver content sets a floor, not the value. A scarce date, a rare mint or a coin in fine condition can be worth far more than its metal, so check before selling any coin for its silver: look it up in a world coin catalogue such as the Standard Catalog of World Coins or the NGC World Coin Price Guide, compare auction records and eBay sold listings for the same coin in the same condition, and ask your local coin shop. Our guide to what your coin is worth walks through each step, and are old foreign coins worth anything? covers sorting a mixed lot.

Know the silver in your collection. Numistify identifies a coin from a photo and fills in its fineness and silver weight from the same templates these tables come from. Numistify is free for your first 50 items.

Questions people ask

Are old Australian coins silver?

Threepences, sixpences, shillings and florins dated 1910 to 1945 are sterling silver (.925). Those of 1946 to 1963 (1964 for the threepence) are .500 silver. Of the decimal coins, only the round 1966 50 cents is silver.

Is the 1966 Australian 50 cent coin silver?

Yes. The round 50 cents of 1966 is .800 silver, 13.28 g, with about 0.34 troy ounces of silver. The twelve-sided 50 cents from 1969 is cupronickel.

Is a 1946 Australian shilling silver?

Yes, but .500 rather than .925. Australian silver coins changed from sterling to .500 in 1946.

What silver bullion does Australia make?

The Perth Mint’s Kookaburra, in .999 silver since 1990, and the Lunar series since 1996.

Related guides

Silver and gold melt value — turning silver weight into a metal value.

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