Australian coins

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Australian coins refers to the coins which are or were in use as Australian currency. During the early days of the colonies that formed Australia, foreign currency was used, but in 1910, a decade after federation, Australian coins were introduced. Australia used pounds, shillings and pence until 1966, when it adopted the decimal system with the Australian dollar divided into 100 cents.

Contents 1 First coins 2 Australian £sd 3 Pre-decimal commemorative coins 4 Decimal currency 5 Decimal commemorative coins 6 Collectable coins 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

[edit] First coins

For many years after the first Australian colony, New South Wales, was founded in 1788, it did not have its own currency and had to rely on the coins of other countries. During the early days of the colony, rum was sometimes used as a currency because of the shortage of coins.

Spanish dollars were sometimes cut into "pieces of eight", quarters, and then into 2/3 and 1/3 segments, with the 2/3 segments (1/6 of original coin) being "shillings" and the 1/3 segments (1/12 of original coin) "sixpences". [1] In 1791 Governor Phillip of New South Wales fixed the value of the Spanish dollar to equal five shillings.

Under the decree of 19 November 1800 by the governor Philip Gidley King the following coins were legal tender for the exchange value of:

• Guinea = £1, 2/-
• Half Johanna = £2
• Gold Mohor = £1, 17/- 6 pence.
• Spanish dollar = 5 shillings.
• Johanna = £ 4.
• Ducat = 9 shillings 6 pence.
• Rupee = 2 shillings and 6 pence.
• Pagoda = 8 shillings.
• Dutch Guilder = 2 shillings
• English shilling = 1 shilling and 1 pence.
• Copper coin of 1 oz = 2 pence. ^[1]

The settlers did have some George III one-penny coins, which were referred to as "Cartwheel pennies". These were the first British coins to be officially exported to the Australian colonies, and so can be considered Australia's first official coins. They were dated 1797 and 1799, with Britannia on one side and King George III on the other.

In 1812, Governor Lachlan Macquarie of New South Wales bought Spanish dollar coins, following the arrival of the ship Samarang at Port Jackson with 40,000 Spanish dollars, paying four shillings and nine pence for each dollar. He was worried that the coins would quickly be exported out of the colony and had holes cut in the middle of them to try to keep them in Australia. These were known as Holey dollars (valued at five shillings), with the piece from the middle being called the Dump (valued at around 15 pence). Both were declared legal currency on September 30, 1813.

British currency became the official currency of the Australian colonies after 1825, with almost £100,000-worth of British coins being imported during 1824–25. The Holey dollar was no longer legal tender after 1829.

Unofficial gold coins were used during the gold rush of the 1850s. Traders' tokens were also used because of the shortage of coins caused by the large increase in population. Attempts to make gold coins in Adelaide in 1852 failed because of the discovery of a die-crack. Australia's first official mint was in Sydney, founded in 1855. It produced gold coins with an original design between 1855 and 1870, with "Sydney Mint, Australia, One Sovereign" on one side and Queen Victoria on the other, before starting in 1870 to mint gold coins of British design.

[edit] Australian £sd

In 1898 the British government allowed two colonies, New South Wales and Victoria, to mint silver and bronze coins at their mints in Sydney and Melbourne respectively.

Introduction of the coins Federation in 1901 gave the Commonwealth a constitutional power to issue coins and removed this power from the States. However, British coins continued in use until 1910, when Australian silver coins were introduced. These included florins, shillings, sixpences and threepences. They had a portrait of King Edward VII on one side. Australian pennies and half-pennies were introduced into circulation the following year. In 1931 gold sovereigns stopped being minted in Australia. A crown or five-shilling coin was minted in 1937 and 1938.

Revaluation In 1947 due to the cost of WW2 the silver content of the coins was reduced from 0.925% to 0.50% of the coin weight, this lasted until decimalisation of the 14 February 1966. The rarest coin is the 1930 Penny with an estimated 2500 being released into circulation.

1910 Series
Value	Diameter	Weight	Composition	Edge	Obverse and Title	Reverse	Minted Year
3 pence	16 mm	1.41 g	92.5% silver 7.5% copper	Plain	EDWARDVS VII D: G: BRITT: OMN: REX F: D: IND: IMP:	1908 coat of arms	1910
6 pence	19mm	2.82 g	92.5% silver	Reeded
1 shilling	23.5 mm	5.65 g		Reeded
2 shillings = 1 florin	28.5 mm	11.31 g

1911 Series
Value	Diameter	Weight	Composition	Edge	Obverse and Title	Reverse	Minted Year
½ penny	25.5mm	5.67g	Bronze	Plain	GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP:	Value	1911 – 1936
1 penny	30.8mm	9.45g
3 pence	As previous series					1908 coat of arms
6 pence
1 shilling
2 shillings = 1 florin

1937 Series
Value	Diameter	Weight	Composition	Edge	Obverse and Title	Reverse	Minted Year
½ penny			Bronze		GEORGIVS VI D: G: BR: OMN: REX F: D: IND: IMP:	Value	1938 – 1939
½ penny						Kangaroo	1939 – 1948
1 penny							1938 – 1948
3 pence	As previous series					three stalks of wheat and a ribbon	1938 – 1944
6 pence						1908 coat of arms	1938 – 1945
1 shilling						Merino ram's head	1938 – 1944
2 shillings = 1 florin						1912 coat of arms	1938 – 1945
5 shillings = 1 crown		28.28 g	92.5% silver			Crown	1937 – 1938

1945, 1949, 1953, 1955 Series
Series	Composition	Obverse and Title	½d	1d	3d	6d	1s	2s
1946	50% silver, 40% copper, 5% zinc, and 5% nickel	As previous series	None	None	1947, 1948	1946, 1948	1946, 1948	1946, 1947
1949	½d & 1d as 1937 series, the rest as previous series	GEORGIVS VI D: G: BR: OMN: REX FIDEI DEF	1949 – 1952			1950 – 1952		1951 – 1952
1953	As previous series	ELIZABETH . II. DEI. GRATIA. REGINA	1953 – 1955	1953	1953 – 1954
1959		ELIZABETH . II. DEI. GRATIA. REGINA. F: D:	1959 – 1964	1955 – 1964		1955 – 1963		1956 – 1963

See also: Half penny, Penny, threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin, crown.

[edit] Pre-decimal commemorative coins

Florin = 2 shillings

1927 Australian florin commemorating the opening of the original Parliament House

1934-35 Australian florin commemorating the centenary of Victoria and the establishment of Melbourne

1951 Australian florin commemorating 50 years of the Commonwealth of Australia

The obverse of the commemorative 1927 Australian florin, with King George V

The obverse of the commemorative 1934-35 Australian florin

The obverse of the commemorative 1951 Australian florin, with King George VI

[edit] Decimal currency

On 14 February 1966 decimal coins were introduced. The old pound was equal to two dollars. All coins portray Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse, have designs by the Australian-born artist Stuart Devlin on the reverse, and are produced by the Royal Australian Mint. 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.

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 2-1/2-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 15.55g and a diameter of 31.51mm, and the round, silver version has a mass of 13.28g and diameter of 31.51mm. 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 kilo 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.

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

Australian coins [2]
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				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 millimeter, a standard for world banknotes. For table standards, see the banknote specification table.

Size comparison, Australian coins in rank of denomination

Queen Elizabeth II on 1966 coins

[edit] Decimal 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"
• 1977 50c "Silver Jubilee"
• 1981 50c "Charles & Diana Royal Wedding"
• 1982 50c "XII 1982 Commonwealth Games Brisbane"
• 1986 $1 "International Year of Peace"
• 1988 50c, $1 "First Fleet Bicentenary 1788-1988"
• 1988 $1, "Aboriginal Kangaroo 1788-1988"
• 1991 50c "25th Anniv. Decimal Currency (Ram's Head)"
• 1992 $1 "Barcelona Olympics"
• 1993 $1 "Landcare Australia"
• 1994 50c "Year of the Family"
• 1994 $1 "Dollar Decade 1984-1994"
• 1995 20c "50 years of the United Nations"
• 1995 50c "'Weary' Dunlop"
• 1995 $1 "Waltzing Matilda"
• 1996 $1 "Henry Parkes"
• 1997 $1 "Sir Charles Kingsford Smith"
• 1998 50c Commemorating the discovery of Bass Strait in 1798 by Matthew Flinders who named the Strait after his colleague George Bass
• 1998 $1 "Howard Florey" Only Proof and mint packs
• 1999 $1 "International Year of Older Persons"
• 2000 50c "Royal Visit"
• 2000 50c "Millennium Year"
• 2000 20c, "Donald Bradman's death
• 2001 20c, 50c, $1 "Centenary of Federation" with additional 20c and 50c coins for each of the nine states and territories
• 2001 $1 "International Year of Volunteers"
• 2002 50c, $1 "Year of the Outback"
• 2003 20c 50c, $1 "Australia's Volunteers"
• 2003 $1 "Centenary of Women's Suffrage"
• 2004 50c Student Design - Animals, with Wombat, Koala and Cockatoo.
• 2005 20c, 50c, $1 "60th Anniv., End of World War II",
• 2005 50c Student Design - Melbourne Commonwealth Games".
• 2006 $1 "The Fifty Year Anniversary of T.V"

1970 50 cent coin commemorating Captain Cook

1998 50 cent coin commemorating the discovery of Bass Strait in 1798 by Matthew Flinders, who named the Strait after his colleague George Bass. The man on the left is Bass and the man on the right is Flinders.

2001 50 cent coin commemorating the centenary of the Federation of Australia with the arms of the state of New South Wales

1982 coin commemorating the 1982 Commonwealth Games

2005 coin commemorating the 2006 Commonwealth Games

One Dollar Coins

2002 coin commemorating the year of the outback

2003 coin commemorating the Centenary of Womens Suffrage

2003 coin commemorating Australia's Volunteers

[edit] Collectable coins

The Royal Australian Mint regularly releases collectable coins, one of the most famous of which is the gold two hundred dollar coin. Australian collectable coins are all legal tender^[2] and can be used directly as currency or converted to "normal" coinage at a bank.

[edit] See also

• Australian dollar
• Australian pound
• Perth Mint

[edit] References

1. ^ Renniks Australian coins and their value 19th edition 2000. page 6.
2. ^ http://www.ramint.gov.au/about_ram/default.cfm?Defaultpage=faq.cfm (Question 11)

• (2003) Chester L. Krause, Cliffor Mischler, Colin R. Bruce II, et al. (editors): 2004 Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1901-present, 31st ed., Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87349-593-4.

[edit] External links

• Cruzi's Coins
• Guide to predecimal coins
• History of Australian coins
• Australia's first coins - State Library of NSW