20 Cent Piece (Australia)
Value:	0.20 AUD
Mass:	11.3 g
Diameter:	28.52 mm
Thickness:	2.50 mm
Edge:	milled
Composition:	75%Copper, 25% Ni
Years of Minting:	1966–present
Catalog Number:	-
Obverse
Design:	Queen Elizabeth II, Australia's Queen
Designer:	Ian Rank-Broadley
Design Date:	1994
Reverse
Design:	Platypus
Designer:	Stuart Devlin
Design Date:	1966

The 20 cent coin of the Australian decimal currency system was issued with conversion to decimal currency on 14 February 1966. ISO 4217 Code AUD User(s) Australia, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island Inflation 3. ... BIC pen cap, about 1 gram. ... A millimetre (American spelling: millimeter), symbol mm is an SI unit of length that is equal to one thousandth of a metre. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 4, d Appearance metallic pinkish red Atomic mass 63. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nickel, Ni, 28 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10, 4, d Appearance lustrous, metallic and silvery with a gold tinge Atomic mass 58. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, in 1952 and 2002 The title Queen of Australia has existed since 1973, when the Parliament of Australia passed the Royal Style and Titles Act (1973). ... Ian Rank-Broadley (born 1952) is a British sculptor who has produced many acclaimed works, among which are several designs for British coinage. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Oz20cent. ... Binomial name Ornithorhynchus anatinus (Shaw, 1799) Platypus range (indicated by darker shading)[3] The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia and Tasmania. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Decimal currency is the term used to describe any currency for which the ratio between the basic unit of currency and its sub-unit is a power of 10. ... February 14 is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ...

There have been various reverses:

• 1966-current: A Platypus in water with the number 20 top right hand corner, designed by Stuart Devlin. Some of the coins from the initial 1966 mint are still in circulation.
• 1995:50 years of the United Nations with the UN emblem.
• 2001:100 years of Australian Federation, set of nine coins; six for the states, 2 for the territories and Norfolk Island.
• 2001:Donald Bradman's death.
• 2003:Commemorating Volunteers.
• 2005:60 years since the end of the Second World War, with WORLD WAR 1939-1945 COMING HOME lettering.

Three different obverses have so far been used; 1966 to 1984 the head of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin; between 1985 and 1998 the head by Raphael Maklouf; and since 1999 the head by Ian Rank-Broadley. Inscription of AUSTRALIA on the right hand side and ELIZABETH II on the left hand side. Binomial name Ornithorhynchus anatinus (Shaw, 1799) Platypus range (indicated by darker shading)[3] The Platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia and Tasmania. ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... The federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British colonies of New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia formed a federation. ... A coin is usually a piece of hard material, generally metal, usually in the shape of a disc, and most often issued by a government, to be used as a form of money in transactions. ... Sir Donald George Bradman, AC (August 27, 1908 — February 25, 2001), often called The Don, was an Australian cricketer who is universally regarded as the greatest batsman of all time,[1] and is one of Australias most popular sporting heroes. ... One Brick volunteers help at a soup kitchen. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... Arnold Machin (30 September 1911 _ 9 March 1999) was a British artist, sculptor, coin and stamp designer. ... Raphael Maklouf (born 10 December 1937) is a sculptor, best known for designing the effigy of Queen Elizabeth used on Commonwealth coinage from 1985 to 1997. ... Ian Rank-Broadley (born 1952) is a British sculptor who has produced many acclaimed works, among which are several designs for British coinage. ...

Varieties

Excepting commemorative varieties, there have have been a number of varieties of regular issue coins identified by collectors, of both the obverse and reverse. The first of these seen is a highly prized variety of the 1966 issue, with a "wave" on the top of the bottom stroke of the 2 in "20". These coins are now sold for over AUD$200, depending on condition. Other varieties sited of the obverse generally revolve around the length and number of the claws of the platypus. These are prone to changing if incorrect stamping pressure is used in creation of dies for the coins. Consequentially, these are often seen in coins produced at foreign mints.

For the Broadley head Reverse there are 3 issues: 1999 with thicker lettering, 2000-2003 slightly reduced lettering by 0.01 mm. The 2004 issue had 2 forms, a reduced head all around by 2 mm and A's with flat top and thicker lettering, and the issue of 2000-03. Both were issued for circulation, but only the later in mint packs. 2005 and subsequent issues have seen a reversion to the 2000 series Reverse.

Image File history File links Australian_Twenty_Cents. ... Image File history File links Australian_Twenty_Cents. ...

1981 Mintings

In 1981, a large number of 20 cent coins were required, far over the capacity of the Royal Australian Mint facility in Canberra, leading to some coins being minted by other Commonwealth Mints, such as the Royal Mint in London, and the Royal Canadian Mint. In Australian Coin Collecting circles, the Canadian impression of the 20 cent coin is known as the "Ottawa Mint" version, which may be misleading, as post 1976, the Ottawa Mint only produced precious metal commemorative coins, like the Perth Mint, meaning the coins may have been produced in at the Royal Canadian Mint's Winnipeg facilities. The Royal Australian Mint is situated in the Australian federal capital city of Canberra, in the suburb of Deakin. ... The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. ... Mint flag The Royal Canadian Mint produces all of Canadas circulation coins, and manufactures circulation coins on behalf of other nations. ... Perth Mint The Perth Mint is Australias oldest operating Mint. ... Mint flag The Royal Canadian Mint produces all of Canadas circulation coins, and manufactures circulation coins on behalf of other nations. ...

Due to differences in the milling and annealing process, the Canadian variety of the 1981 20 cent coin is distinctive to attentive collectors and even cash handlers. The top and bottom edges of the milling is rounded over, not squared like the Australian and London varieties, and despite being in circulation for well over 25 years, even when well worn, the fields remain shiny, and not dulled like those produced at other mints. These qualities are also observed in Canadian coinage of similar ages.

The quantity of 1981 and 1982 mintages of the 20 cent coin was sufficient to not require many coins released for circulation until 1990. 1983 and 1984 20 cent coins were struck for circulation, but never released, later being resmelted by the Royal Australian Mint, leaving the coins relatively rare. Significant premiums have been paid for a small number of mint rolls from these years that have shown up in auctions.

References

• Reserve Bank of Australia
• (2000) Ian W. Pitt: Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values, 19th ed., Chippendale, N.S.W.: Renniks Publications. ISBN 978-0-9585574-4-3. 

Reserve Bank of Australia in Martin Place, Sydney The Reserve Bank of Australia came into being on the 14th January 1960 to operate as Australias central bank and banknote issuing authority. ... Chippendale is a small inner suburb of Sydney, Australia, sandwiched between Broadway to the north and Cleveland Street to the south, and Sydney Central railway station to the east and the University of Sydney to the west. ... The Australian florin was a coin used in the Commonwealth of Australia. ...