Australia 1994 $1 Dollar Decade Dollar
It is perhaps appropriate that in the same year that the Australian dollar coin turns 25 that I do a quick entry on the coin celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the dollar coin. In 1994 the Royal Australian Mint released the ‘dollar decade’ dollar coin onto the collector coin market. While not released into general circulation it was struck in Aluminium Bronze with the C, S, and M mintmarks. Mintages for each of the mintmarks were 105,090 for the C mintmark, 74,474 for the S, and 79,256 for the M. It was also struck in silver with continuous reeding (5001 mintage) and in silver with the normal interrupted reeding (20,002 mintage). The coin struck from silver with the continuous reeding (struck for the NAA Coin Fair in 1994) is the key coin to get here, with a low mintage and a CV in 2009 of over $100. The other coins are fairly common and not too pricey.
Seen above the obverse of the coin depicts the Raphael Maklouf portrait of Queen Elizabeth. The reverse of the coin is by Vladimir Gottwald. The reverse image is a quite smart image of the old Australian $1 note morphing and merging into the ubiquitous mob of roos dollar coin. Viewed under magnification there is a remarkable amount of detail in the engraving of the coin and dollar notes on the reverse, it is a truly attractive reverse.
