1996 Parkes Dollar
Continuing on with the dollar coin issues from the Royal Australian Mint we have 4 commemorative issues for the years 1996-1998. In 1996 we saw a portrait of Sir Henry Parkes commemorating 100 years since his death. 1997 brought confusion with 2 similar but different issues commemorating the centenary of the birth of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. The mintmark “Smithy” issue is sometimes called the small portrait type and the “map” issue is sometimes known as the large portrait type. The Mob of Roos dollar was issued in the mint and proof sets and into circulation in 1998. There were no Roos issued in 1996 or 1997. The obverse portrait for all was by Raphael Maklouf, the exception being only the silver proof issue of the Howard Florey dollar being changed to the new portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley.
