1797 cartwheel pennies are rare finds from the perspective of the Australian metal detectorist. Below I have compiled photos, mintage, and specifications of those coins.
If this coin is not high on your bucket list it should be, it certainly is on mine. This is the first copper penny to be minted in Britain and due to its unique shape was nicknamed the ‘cartwheel’ penny. It was made in two variations by Matthew Boulton at the Soho mint, a penny weighing 1 oz and a twopence weighing 2 oz’s. It was minted from 1797 to 1799 but all coins were stamped with the 1797 date. The main variation in the penny was the olive branch having 10 or 11 leaves, as far as I can tell the twopence was exactly the same design as the penny.
| Mintage | Weight | Diameter | |
| Penny | 8,601,600 | 28.3g | 36mm |
| Twopence | 722,160 | 56.7g | 41mm |
The 1797 pennies were two of the proclamation coins assigned a new value in 1800 by Governor King in an effort to keep currency in Australia. Both were doubled in value, the penny became twopence and the twopence became four pence. It appears that these coins became the first official currency of Australia with a shipment of 18,000 of them arriving in N.S.W in the year 1800. Another shipload of King George III copper coins, halfpennies
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I recently saw a cartwheel penny get found while out metal detecting in Moonta, South Australia. It wasn’t in the best condition but you can make out George III’s head and the first few letters of his name on the rim.
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