The 1953 Florin was struck at the Melbourne Mint with a mintage of 12,658,000. The reverse features the Kruger Gray Coat of Arms design which remained in use until the introduction of decimal currency. The obverse features Mary Gillick's effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A number of mint rolls have been found for 1953, although they often have brown toning due to the paper used in rolling. This makes the year very affordable in mint-state with the exception of the exceedingly scarce 'Large Denticle' variety.
In addition to the typical 'Small Denticles' 1953 Florin a second 'Large Denticles' variety has been identified. This second type features notably larger denticles (the small tooth-like serrations) on the borders of the reverse. It appears that the 1953 large denticle variety came from a single die which would explain its overall scarcity. Naturally, this variety demands a premium over the very affordable small denticle variety.
This year was the first to omit the traditional 'F.D' (Defender of the Faith) inscription from the obverse legend. This move attracted substantial controversy with groups including 'The United Protestant's Association' and a number of Australian Bishops leading protests against the change. Commonwealth authorities initially defended their decision arguing that the changes were for simplicity sake and they did not intend to cause any disrespect or make a political message. Both the standard issue 1953 and 1954 Florin feature the 'godless' legend but in 1954 the Authorities bowed to the pressure and included 'F.D' on the Royal Visit commemorative Florin and all Florins since.