The 1911 Sixpence was the first piece in the George V series and the second piece in the Australian sixpence series. The reverse design remained unchanged from the W. H. J. Blakemore interpretation of the Australian Coat of Arms. The obverse features the George W. De Saules effigy of the newly crowned King George V. His majesty is portrayed left facing with crown and surrounded by the legend, "GEORGIVS V D.G. BRITT : OMN : REX F. D. IND : IMP' (George V, by the Grace of God, Ruler and King of Britain, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India').
The year was struck at the Royal Mint in London to a total mintage of 1,000,000. Although this was a relatively low mintage it appears to have been heavily hoarded which is quite common for new types. (PCGS, 2017) As a result it is usually slightly more affordable than the next decade of sixpence releases. This is not to say that the type is cheap. Collectors seeking a mint-state example will be required to set aside substantial sums of money and will struggle to find examples grading above MS64. Despite this the 1911 remains a very good choice for collectors seeking an early George V sixpence.
After only a year of Australian coinage His Majesty Edward VII died and George V became King. As is typically the case the new obverse designs sparked substantial public attention and general interest in minting processes. In the Sydney newspaper 'The Worlds' News' a full page article carefully outlined the process of creating the new George V. coins. (The World's News, 1911) They explained the melting process, the creation of dies, quality assurance and more before exhibiting what some of Australia's new types would look like. (The World's News, 1911) It may have been a slow news-week though as the article was followed by the story of 'Cockie' the bicycle riding Cockatoo. (The World's News, 1911)
