November 2012 Archives
2013 Coloured 20c
The 2013 platypus 20 cent featured above can only be found in the 2013 six coin mint set issued by the Royal Australian Mint. The very lairy version of Stuart Devlins classic standard platypus design is just all wrong in it's hyper-metallic (coloured) finish of blue, lime green and brown.
Vibrant you say? Yes vibrant in a very gaudy fashion. We've nicknamed this coin the "pond scum" 20c.
Each 2013 special edition 6 coin uncirculated year set is individually numbered but with an unlimited mintage. It's the only coin in the set with such vibrant embellishment, the set also including all the other standard circulating coin designs. Last year if you recall the 2012 6 coin mint sets featured the Coat of Arms 50 cent with a coloured splash.
This set may appeal to some collectors but I'm afraid this colour enhancement is out of place on such a traditional standard iconic coin design.
One of 7 Albums of Australian One Dollar Coins
I collect uncirculated Australian one dollar coins. It's been hard keeping my collection up to date even though I have set limits to what's included and what's not. My collection is based around the Mob of Roos one dollar found in circulation but extends to include commemorative circulation coins and non-circulating legal tender with the same specifications as the circulating type.
It has to include all the 25mm, 9 gram aluminium bronze coins issued by our circulating coin producer the Royal Australian Mint. The collection includes all the various mintmark, privymark and counterstamp coins including the earlier portable press and heavy press mintmarks that aren't easily identified. It also includes coloured pad-printed dollars. Each issue must be in it's original RAM packaging and where possible without causing damage to the packaging it's removed so all the dollars can be stored in 2x2 pages for ease of viewing. Australia Post PNC's and some other issues are stored in the pages inside their packaging as it would cause damage removing them. The packaging of each coin is stored in the front of the album and the coins at the rear.
If it's not a Royal Australian Mint Issue then it can't be included in the collection. Proof coins and those that are not the standard size are also left out of the collection. There are quite a few legal tender Australian one dollars issued by the Perth Mint but they aren't included in this collection as they are not standard.
There are 7 albums in total and to start with up to 10 years of coins could fit into one album. Times have changed since the first coin in 1984 and now in 2012 I'm lucky to fit one year issues into one album. This year we're up to about 25 and counting (remember they're stored with their packaging).
A couple of years ago I moved from staple 2x2's to Saflips to house the coins in the pages but other than that each album looks the same. I use The Purple Penny coin albums and 20 pocket coin album pages adding Lighthouse Vario 1C, 2C, 3C and 4C pages to hold the packaging. See the 3C pages below left with larger folders or cards in 2C or 1C size.
I've also learnt not to finalise a year of issue until a couple of years later after one year cutting up a mint set only coin only find it released later in the year in a PNC which would have been a cheaper way to obtain the uncirculated coin and have also found coins released into circulation years after their actual year of production.
To be honest the whole thing now has become a chore because of the sheer number of releases each year and keeping it complete doesn't give me as much pleasure as it used to.
(Not all the) 2007 One Dollar Issues
2012 Remembrance Coloured Commemorative $2 RSL Issue
2012 Remembrance Coloured Commemorative $2 RSL Card
A $10 donation to the RSL and a coloured version of the new circulating commemorative Remembrance $2 could be yours! A stunning little coin minted by the Royal Australian Mint designed by Aaron Baggio. This is the first $2 we've ever seen with a different design to the aboriginal and it certainly is a pretty one in colour.
The RSL has 500,000 of these coins to raise money for the Red Poppy Appeal for Remembrance Day 11.11.12. It was difficult to obtain these coins and Remembrance Day came and went without a coloured poppy $2 in sight, not for want of me trying. My eagerness to add one of these to my collection saw me order 4 coins from the RSL in another state, the QLD RSL posting out these coins with a small added postage cost. When they arrived they were keenly glued to the donation card much to my horror. After notifying them through the RAM this practice has been ceased.
They're certainly the advertised circulating quality with 3 of the 4 coins I ordered not worthy of an uncirculated coin collection with bagmarks, scratches and rolling machine scrapes evident. It might end up hard to find one of these in top grade. But it could be a great start to your commemorative $2 collection!
2012 Remembrance Coloured Commemorative $2 RSL Card
2012 Remembrance $2 C Mint Mark in Postal Numismatic Cover
The 2012 Remembrance Poppy 2 dollar has been struck with this coloured version being released in an Australia Post PNC. It's a breath of fresh air for the stodgy little $2 coin to see it with a stunning red poppy commemorative design and doesn't it look great in this PNC. You'll notice it's different to the coin distributed by the RSL for Remembrance Day in that it has a C mintmark inside the right hand edge poppy around the legend. Distributed at Australia Post outlets this PNC has been by far the easiest to obtain the new $2 design. Soon you'll find this design in change minus the C mintmark and the coloured printing.
Australia Post has limited this release to 20,000 with every PNC numbered on the back. Issue price is $19.95.
The 2012 PNC shouldn't be confused with the 2011 Remembrance Day $5 PNC.
2012 Remembrance Commemorative $2 Cmm in PNC
Great Britain 1902 Matte Proof 5 Pounds to Half Sovereign
1902 saw the coronation of Edward VII after the long reign of Queen Victoria. As part of the coronation celebrations the Royal Mint released proof sets containing either 13 coins (the long set) or 11 coins (the short set). The long set had a mintage of 8,066 sets while about a thousand less short sets were produced at 7,057. The sets were released in felt lined wooden cases with a maroon leather exterior. Both sets included proof versions of the sovereign, half sovereign, crown, half crown, florin, shillng, and sixpence. They also included a proof Maundy set of four coins. The long sets included two additional coins, the double sovereign and the imposing 5 pound (five sovereign) coin containing nearly one and a quarter ounces of gold. Above you can see the proof gold from a 1902 matte proof long set.
The finish of these coins was matte, completely different to the usual polished brilliance of earlier sets (and for that matter) later sets. The process to create the matte proofs was developed in the preceding decade in Belgium and was adopted by the Royal Mint to make the 1902 sets. Coin-collecting folklore says that the Royal Mint workers disliked the finish greatly and wiped the coins as they came out of the presses on their leather aprons to give them a more brilliant appearance. Regardless of whether the wiping legend is true or not almost every British 1902 proof coin you will find is hairlined, from the monstrous 5 pound coin down to the tiny Maundy penny.
The coins of the Great Britain 1902 Proof Sets all contain the portrait of Edward VII as sculpted by G.W. De Saulles. The reverses of the gold coins and crown depict the classic St George slaying the dragon reverse as designed by Benedetto Pistrucci which first appeared on a British coin in 1817. The reverses of the Half Crown down to the sixpence were also sculpted by G.W. De Saulles. The reverses of the Maundy coins bore a modified reverse design of Jean Baptiste Merlen who had been Pistrucci's assistant at the Royal Mint in the early 19th Century.
References:
Cuhaj, George S. and Michael, Thomas (2006) Standard Catalog of World Coins (1901-2011) 38th Edition. Iola Wisconsin, USA : Krause Publications
Linecar, H.A. (1977) British Coin Designs and Their Designers. London, Great Britain : G.B. Bell & Sons Ltd.
Spink & Sons (2005) Coins of England & The United Kingdom, 41st Edition. Bloomsbury, London, United Kingdom : Spink & Son Ltd..
Gold Sovereigns, Cruzi's Coins. Retrieved November 11, 2012, http://www.cruzis-coins.com/sovs/1902GB.html
The dodecagonal Australian 50 cent is a popular collector coin with all the coins below being relatively easy to find in your change as they have all been released into circulation. Track the mintages to see which are easy to find and which prove to be tough to find. The Australian 50c is struck on a copper nickel 12 sided planchet and is 31.51mm in diameter.
| Year | Type | Mintage | Source |
| 2002 | Australian Year of the Outback 50 cent | 11,507,000 | (a) |
| 2003 | Australia's Volunteers Australian 50 cent | 13,927,000 | (a) |
| 2004 | Student Design Australian 50 cent | 10,577,000 | (a) |
| 2004 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 17,918,000 | (a) |
| 2005 | 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games Australian 50 cent | 21,000,000 | (a) |
| 2005 | Remembrance 60th Ann. of End of WWII Australian 50 cent | 21,033,000 | (a) |
| 2006 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 62,859,000 | (a) |
| 2007 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 19,872,000 | (a) |
| 2008 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 28,402,590 | (a) |
| 2009 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 19,031,000 | (a) |
| 2010 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 22,191,000 | (a) |
| 2010 | Australia Day Celebrate What's Great Australian 50 cent | 11,452,000 | (a) |
| 2011 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 14,380,000 | (a) |
| 2012 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 5,670,000 | (a) |
The Australian 50 cent coins is issued in both the standard Coat of Arms design and each year or so a commemorative design. In 2001 the Centenary of Federation saw a multitude of 50c coin releases into circulation. See if you can find them all! See the Circulation Australian 50c 2002-2012 table to follow the 50 cent story.
| Year | Type | Mintage | Source |
| 2000 | Queen's Royal Visit Australian 50 cent | 5,145,000 | (b) |
| 2000 | Millenium Australian 50 cent | 16,630,000 | (a) |
| 2001 | Centenary of Federation Coat of Arms Australian 50 cent | 39,624,000 | (a) |
| 2001 | Centenary of Federation State Series NSW Australian 50 cent | 3,042,000 | (a) |
| 2001 | Centenary of Federation State Series ACT Australian 50 cent | 2,000,000 | (a) |
| 2001 | Centenary of Federation State Series Qld Australian 50 cent | 2,320,000 | (a) |
| 2001 | Centenary of Federation State Series Vic Australian 50 cent | 2,800,000 | (a) |
| 2001 | Centenary of Federation State Series NT Australian 50 cent | 2,080,000 | (a) |
| 2001 | Centenary of Federation State Series WA Australian 50 cent | 2,400,000 | (a) |
| 2001 | Centenary of Federation State Series SA Australian 50 cent | 2,400,000 | (a) |
| 2001 | Centenary of Federation State Series Tas Australian 50 cent | 2,160,000 | (a) |
| 2001 | Centenary of Federation States Norfolk Island Australian 50 cent | 2,160,000 | (a) |
Collectors of the Australian 50 cent can find all of the below issues in circulation. The 12 sided cupro-nickel coins weigh 15.55g and are 31.51mm in diameter. Some issues are harder to find than others, take a guess at which are harder to find by looking at the mintages. See the Circulation Australian 50c 2000-2001 table to follow the 50 cent story.
| Year | Type | Mintage | Source |
| 1980 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 38,681,000 | (b) |
| 1981 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 24,168,000 | (b) |
| 1981 | Royal Wedding Charles and Diana Australian 50 cent | 20,000,000 | (b) |
| 1982 | Brisbane Commonwealth Games Australia 50 cent | 23,287,000 | (b) |
| 1983 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 48,923,000 | (b) |
| 1984 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 26,281,000 | (b) |
| 1985 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 1,000,000 | (b) |
| 1988 | Australian First Fleet Bicentenary 50 cent | 8,998,800 | (b) |
| 1991 | 25th Anniversary of Decimal Currency Australian 50 cent | 4,704,400 | (b) |
| 1993 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 2,217,000 | (d) |
| 1994 | International Year of the Family Australian 50 cent | 20,876,100 | (c) |
| 1995 | 50th Anniversary of WWII Weary Dunlop Australian 50 cent | 15,869,000 | (d) |
| 1996 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 19,296,000 | (d) |
| 1997 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 4,337,200 | (b) |
| 1998 | Bass and Flinders Australian 50 cent | 22,426,000 | (b) |
| 1999 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 20,318,000 | (b) |
\The Australian 50 cent is a very popular collector coin with many budding collectors starting this way. The Australian 50 cent is a dodecagon, that is it has 12 equal sides. It is manufactured on a planchet made from cupro nickel which is composed of 75% copper and 25% Nickel. It has plain edges and each coin weighs 15.55g and measures 31.51mm.
See the Circulation Australian 50c 1980-1999 table to follow the 50 cent story.
| Year | Type | Mintage | Source |
| 1966 | Australian Round Coat of Arms 50 cent | 36,454,000 | (c) |
| 1969 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 14,015,000 | (b) |
| 1970 | Captain Cook 50 cent | 16,548,000 | (d) |
| 1971 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 21,056,000 | (b) |
| 1972 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 5,586,000 | (b) |
| 1973 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 4,009,000 | (b) |
| 1974 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 8,962,000 | (d) |
| 1975 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 19,024,800 | (c) |
| 1976 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 27,280,000 | (b) |
| 1977 | Queen's Silver Jubilee Australian 50 cent | 25,067,000 | (b) |
| 1978 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 25,765,000 | (b) |
| 1979 | Australian Coat of Arms 50 cent | 24,886,000 | (d) |
The Royal Australian Mint annual report for the 2011-2012 financial year was published about a week ago, find all the updated Australian dollar mintages in the links below:
If you're a dollar collector like me maybe now is the time to have a look through and see which issue you missed!
