It was a quiet afternoon, the kind where time seemed to slow down. I was sitting at the kitchen table, casually sorting through loose change I’d been accumulating over the weeks. There’s something oddly comforting about the familiar clink of coins as they slide through your fingers. I wasn’t looking for anything special that day—just absentmindedly counting small silver and bronze pieces, figuring I’d drop them into a jar and forget about them until next time.
But this time, something was different.
The Story Behind the Wavy 20c Coin
I had heard about the 1966 wavy 20c coin before, though it had always seemed like a distant treasure, one of those “if you’re lucky” finds that could easily be missed by an untrained eye. The tale of the wavy baseline was almost legendary among collectors. Back in 1966, as Australia transitioned to decimal currency, a small batch of 20c coins was accidentally struck with a wave-like pattern on the top edge of the number ‘2’ in “20.” A tiny minting error, but one that set these coins apart and made them highly sought after by collectors.
To find one in the wild seemed nearly impossible—at least, that’s what I thought.
A Coin Passed Through Time
It wasn’t long before I noticed it. A shiny 20c coin had slipped between my fingers, one I hadn’t paid much attention to at first glance. I held it up, expecting to see the familiar, standard design I’d seen countless times before. But then I noticed something odd about the number ‘2’. Was that… a wave? My heart skipped a beat.
The coin was from 1966. My mind raced as I recalled the details I had read about—how the wave wasn’t easy to spot if you didn’t know where to look, but unmistakable once you saw it. I ran my finger over the edge of the ‘2’, and there it was—the wavy baseline that marked this coin as different, special.
But that wasn’t the best part. This wasn’t just any coin. It was one I’d gotten in change from my grandmother weeks ago when I had visited her. She had insisted on giving me a small bag of coins she’d kept in a jar on her dresser, saying, “It’s for luck. Don’t spend it all at once.” I smiled at the memory.
A Coin, A Connection
As I held the coin in my hand, I couldn’t help but feel a deeper connection to it. This wasn’t just about finding a rare and valuable piece of Australian currency. This was a piece of family history, passed down from someone who, unbeknownst to either of us, had been holding onto a little piece of numismatic gold.
I sat there, running my thumb over the surface of the wavy coin, thinking about how something so small could carry so much meaning. It wasn’t just about the thrill of discovery; it was about how the coin had made its way to me through someone I cared about. It felt like a gift, a symbol of luck and memory intertwined.
The Moment of Reflection
I tucked the wavy 20c coin safely into a small box, a memento of the past that I knew I’d treasure. Some people search for years to find such a coin, scouring markets and coin rolls in pursuit of this elusive rarity. But for me, it came in the simplest of ways—from the hands of a loved one, passed along without either of us realizing what we had.
As for what I’ll do with the coin? I’m not sure. It’s worth a tidy sum, that’s certain. But for now, I think I’ll hold onto it a little longer. After all, some treasures aren’t just about their monetary value—they’re about the stories they carry with them, and the memories that make them priceless.
And who knows? Maybe one day, I’ll pass it along to someone else, just like it was passed to me.
