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Encyclopedia > Coins of the Australian dollar

Coins of the Australian dollar were introduced on 14 February 1966. It was equivalent in value to 10 shillings in the former currency (half of a pound). ISO 4217 Code AUD User(s) Australia, Kiribati, Nauru, Tuvalu, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, and Norfolk Island Inflation 2. ... is the 45th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about coinage. ... The Australian pound was Australias currency from 1910 to 1966. ...

Contents

Regular coinage

The unusual circular 1966 50 cent coin.

Produced by the Royal Australian Mint, all coins portray Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse, with the present effigy having been designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. This is matched with designs by the Australian-born artist Stuart Devlin on the reverse. They now comprise 50-cent, 20-cent, ten-cent and five-cent coins – all still referred to as 'silver' though actually 75% copper and 25% nickel – and for many years there were also "bronze" two-cent and one-cent coins. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (840x784, 513 KB) The Australian 50 cent piece was circular in 1966, before following years when it has twelve sides. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (840x784, 513 KB) The Australian 50 cent piece was circular in 1966, before following years when it has twelve sides. ... Royal Australian Mint The coat of arms of Australia is featured above the entrance to the Royal Australian Mint. ... This article is about monetary coins. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; born 21 April 1926) is Queen of sixteen sovereign states, holding each crown and title equally. ... The term obverse, and its opposite, reverse, describe the two sides of units of currency and many other kinds of two-sided objects, most often in reference to coins, but also to medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art. ... The effigy of John Gower in Southwark Cathedral, London. ... Ian Rank-Broadley (born 1952) is a British sculptor who has produced many acclaimed works, among which are several designs for British coinage. ... Stuart Devlin (born 1931) is a significant contemporary gold and silversmith. ... This article is about the chemical element. ... For other uses, see Copper (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Nickel (disambiguation). ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ...


The 50-cent coin originally had a circular shape, and contained 80% silver and 20% copper, so that the material of the coin was worth more than 50 cents. It was made to almost identical dimensional specifications as the British 2½-shilling Half-Crown, and was probably also influenced by the US 1964 JFK 90% Silver Half-dollar. However, to avoid confusion among the round coins and because of its excessive value, it was only produced for one year then withdrawn from circulation. There were no 50 cent coins minted for two years and then it was changed to a 12-sided shape for 1969 and all following years, but the 12 sided issue was minted as a specimen piece in 1966-67 to test the design. It has since been issued in both standard and commemorative designs. The standard designs on both versions of the coin are the same: the obverse carries the effigy of the sovereign, and the reverse shows the Coat of Arms of Australia. The dodecagonal version has a mass of 15.55 g and a diameter of 31.51 mm, and the round, silver version has a mass of 13.28 g and diameter of 31.51 mm. An estimate of the value of the silver in the circular coin can be found if the coin is reckoned as being worth XAG 0.3416. 94.13 Australian 1966 round 50c coins make up a fine kilogram of silver. In July 2006 prices this is about AUD 4.92 (approx. 10 times the face value). Many Australians mistakenly believe that the 1966 round 50c piece is quite rare, when in fact Royal Australian Mint records indicate that some 36 million examples were struck, and 11 million were released into circulation. They are hardly ever seen in business today, and nearly all the Australian round 50-cent coins from 1966 that remain in existence are now only traded for their bullion value — very few are sold as collectors' items. They are often confused with the round 50-cent coin from New Zealand with the date 1967-2006, which has a maritime scene on the reverse. Half-Crown coin of Oliver Cromwell, 1658 The half-crown was a denomination of British money worth two shillings and sixpence, being one-eighth of a pound. ... Obverse Reverse Evolving from the Franklin half dollar, the Kennedy half dollar is a coin of the United States first minted in 1964. ... Australian Coat of Arms (since 1912) The Coat of Arms of Australia is the official symbol of Australia. ... A regular dodecagon. ...


"Gold" two-dollar and one-dollar coins were introduced in the late 1980s. The one-dollar coin was introduced in 1984, to replace the banknote of the same value. The two-dollar coin, also replacing a banknote, was introduced in 1988. These have content of 2% nickel, 6% aluminium and 92% copper. Thus all Australian coins in use currently are composed of more than half copper. The two-dollar coin is half the size of the one-dollar coin, which is unusual and often causes confusion for foreign tourists. “Aluminum” redirects here. ...


The one- and two-cent coins were discontinued in 1991 and withdrawn from circulation.


Australian coins have medallic orientation, as are most other Commonwealth coinage, Japanese yen coinage, and euro coinage. This is in contrast to coin orientation, which is used in United States coinage. A feature of coins. ... The Commonwealth of Nations as of 2006 Headquarters Marlborough House, London, UK Official languages English Membership 53 sovereign states Leaders  -  Queen Elizabeth II  -  Secretary-General Don McKinnon (since 1 April 2000) Establishment  -  Balfour Declaration 18 November 1926   -  Statute of Westminster 11 December 1931   -  London Declaration 28 April 1949  Area  -  Total... Japanese 10 yen coin (obverse) showing Phoenix Hall of Byodoin Yen is the currency used in Japan. ... The euro (EUR or €) is the currency of 13 European Union (EU) member states (Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, and Spain), three European microstates which have currency agreements with the EU (Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican City State), Andorra, Montenegro and the... A feature of coins. ... Top row: Sacagawea Dollar, Lincoln Cent, and Roosevelt Dime. ...

Australian coins [1]
Image Value Technical parameters Description Date of first minting
Diameter Thickness Weight Composition Edge Obverse Reverse
1 cent (no longer used) 17.53 mm 2.59 g 97% copper
2.5% zinc
0.5% tin
Queen Elizabeth II Feathertail Glider 1966
2 cents (no longer used) 21.59 mm 5.18 g Frill-necked Lizard
5 cents 19.41 mm 1.3 mm 2.83 g Cupronickel
75% copper
25% nickel
Milled Queen Elizabeth II Echidna 1966
10 cents 23.60 mm 2 mm 5.65 g Superb Lyrebird
20 cents 28.52 mm 2.5 mm 11.30 g Platypus
50 cents
Dodecagon
31.51 mm (shortest) 3 mm 15.55 g Plain Coat of arms 1969
$1 25.00 mm 3 mm 9.00 g 92% copper
6% aluminium
2% nickel
Interrupted milled Queen Elizabeth II Five kangaroos 1984
$2 20.50 mm 3.2 mm 6.60 g Aboriginal elder 1988
These images are to scale at 0.7 pixels per millimetre, a standard for world banknotes. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Commemorative coins

Many special coins have been produced, with imagery representing an event replacing the usual design on the reverse side of the coin. For some years, all the coins are replaced with a different design for that year. In other cases, only a few coins have the new design, which are released as special commemorative coins, although many usually end up in circulation. Because of their larger size, it is usually the 50c, 20c and $1 that have new designs; the $2, 10c and 5c are rarely changed. The commemorative coins include:

  • 1970 50c Captain Cook Bicentenary, mintage: 16,548,000
  • 1977 50c Queen Elizabeth II Jubilee, mintage: 25,067,000
  • 1981 50c Charles & Diana Royal Wedding, mintage: 20,000,000
  • 1982 50c XII Commonwealth Games, held in Brisbane, mintage: 49,610,200
  • 1986 $1 International Year of Peace, mintage: 25,100,000
  • 1988 50c, First Fleet Bicentenary 1788-1988, mintage: 8,100,000 (rare)
  • 1988 $1, First Fleet Bicentenary, Aboriginal design, mintage: 20,400,000
  • 1991 50c 25th Anniversary of Decimal Currency (Merino ram's head), mintage: 4,700,000 (rare)
  • 1992 $1 Barcelona Olympics, mintage: unknown
  • 1993 $1 Landcare Australia, mintage: 15,000,000
  • 1994 50c Year of the Family, mintage: 20,876,100
  • 1994 $1 Dollar Decade 1984-1994, mintage: unknown
  • 1995 20c 50th Anniversary of the United Nations, mintage: 4,835,000
  • 1995 50c End of World War II 50th Anniversary, Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop, mintage: 15,869,200
  • 1995 $1 Waltzing Matilda, mintage: unknown
  • 1996 $1 Sir Henry Parkes Centenary, mintage: 26,200,000
  • 1997 $1 Sir Charles Kingsford Smith Birth Centenary, mintage: 24,381,000
  • 1998 50c Bass and Flinders Anniversary, discovery of Bass Strait, mintage: 22,389,200
  • 1998 $1 Howard Florey (Only proof and mint packs), mintage: unknown
  • 1999 $1 International Year of Older Persons, mintage: 29,218,000
  • 2000 50c Millennium Year 2000, mintage: 16,630,000
  • 2000 50c Year 2000 Royal Visit, mintage: 5,145,000
  • 2001 20c Sir Donald Bradman Tribute, mintage: 10,000,000
  • 2001 20c Centenary of Federation coins for each of the 9 states, territories and regions, mintage (total of all coins): unknown
  • 2001 50c Centenary of Federation coins for eaech of the 9 states, territories and regions plus one for Australia, mintage (total of all coins): 64,271,600
  • 2001 $1 Centenary of Federation, mintage: 27,905,390
  • 2001 $1 International Year of Volunteers, mintage: 6,000,000 (rare)
  • 2002 50c Year of the Outback, mintage: 11,507,000
  • 2002 $1 Year of the Outback, mintage: 35,373,000
  • 2003 20c Australia's Volunteers, mintage: 7,574,000
  • 2003 50c Australia's Volunteers, mintage: 8,202,000
  • 2003 $1 Australia's Volunteers, mintage: 4,149,000
  • 2003 $1 Centenary of Women's Suffrage, mintage: 10,007,000 (rare)
  • 2004 50c 2004 Student Design Australia - Animals, with wombat, koala and lorikeet, mintage: 10,577,000
  • 2005 20c End of World War II 60th Anniversary, mintage: 10,000,000
  • 2005 50c End of World War II 60th Anniversary, mintage: 10,000,000
  • 2005 $1 End of World War II 60th Anniversary, mintage: unknown
  • 2005 50c 2005 Student Design Commonwealth Games, mintage: 21,000,000
  • 2006 $1 50th Anniversary of Television, mintage: unknown
  • 2007 $1 75th Anniversary of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, mintage: unknown
  • 2007 $1 APEC Australia 2007, mintage: unknown

One Dollar Coins

Collectible coins

The 1994 Australian $200 coin features a Tasmanian Devil.

The Royal Australian Mint regularly releases collectible coins, one of the most famous of which is the gold two hundred dollar coin. Australian collectible coins are all legal tender[1] and can be used directly as currency or converted to "normal" coinage at a bank. Metals include aluminium bronze, silver, gold and bi-metal coins (Pitt, 2000 pp.90-100). Nugget coins are issued in ounces and fractions or kilogrammes and come in gold and platinum, some are donominated in dollars others only their weight value (Pitt, 2000 pp. 101-109). Image File history File links Limited edition Australian $200 coin (not for circulation), Design by Horst Hahne This work is copyrighted. ... Image File history File links Limited edition Australian $200 coin (not for circulation), Design by Horst Hahne This work is copyrighted. ... For other uses, see Tasmanian Devil (disambiguation). ... Royal Australian Mint The coat of arms of Australia is featured above the entrance to the Royal Australian Mint. ... Aluminium bronze is a type of bronze in which aluminium is the main alloying metal added to copper. ...


See also

Swedish rounding is a method by which money is rounded from a given minimal unit to the closest larger unit represented by physical currency. ...

References

  1. ^ http://www.ramint.gov.au/about_ram/default.cfm?Defaultpage=faq.cfm (Question 11)
  • Krause, Chester L. and Clifford Mishler (2003). 2004 Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1901-Present, Colin R. Bruce II (senior editor), 31st ed., Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87349-593-4. 
  • (2000) in Ian W. Pitt: Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values, 19th ed., Chippendale, N.S.W.: Renniks Publications. ISBN 0-9585574-4-6. 

The Standard Catalog of World Coins is a series of numismatic catalogues that is commonly known as the Krause catalogues in the numismatic trade. ... 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. ...

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