Examine individual changes

'{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2013}} {{Use Australian English|date=December 2013}} '''Coins of the [[Australian dollar]]''' were introduced on 14 February 1966, although they did not at that time include a one-dollar coin. The dollar was equivalent in value to 10 [[shilling#Australian shillings|shillings]] in the former currency (half of a [[Australian pound|pound]]). == Regular coinage == [[File:ABC Decimal Currency.ogv|thumb|right|'Design of the new decimal currency' first broadcast by the ABC in 1964.]] [[File:1966 australian 50 cent piece circular.jpg|thumb|The circular 1966 50 cent coin.]] Produced by the [[Royal Australian Mint]], all current [[coin]]s portray [[Majesty|Her Majesty]] [[Elizabeth II of Australia|Elizabeth II]], [[Queen of Australia]], on the [[Obverse and reverse|obverse]], with the present [[effigy]] having been designed by [[Ian Rank-Broadley]]. This is matched with designs by the [[Australia]]n-born artist [[Stuart Devlin]] on the reverse. They now comprise 50c, 20c, 10c and 5c coins – all still referred to as '[[silver]]' though actually 75% [[copper]] and 25% [[nickel]], and for many years there were also "[[bronze]]" 2c and 1c coins. The 50c coin originally had a circular shape, and contained 80% silver and 20% copper, so that the material of the coin was worth more than 50c. It was made to almost identical dimensional specifications as the British 2'6 pence [[British half crown coin|half crown]]. However, to avoid confusion among the round coins, and because of its excess value, it was only produced for one year then withdrawn from circulation; there were no 50 cent coins minted for 1967 or 1968. 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 [[dodecagon]]al version has a mass of 15.55&nbsp;g and a diameter of 31.5&nbsp;mm, and the round silver version has a mass of 13.28&nbsp;g and diameter of 31.5&nbsp;mm. 94.13 Australian 1966 round 50c coins make up a fine kilogram of silver. Many Australians wrongly 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 14 million were released into circulation. Nearly all the Australian round 50-cent coins from 1966 that remain in existence are now only traded for their bullion value. They are often confused with the round 50c 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 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 smaller in diameter than the one-dollar coin, but the two-dollar is slightly thicker. The one- and two-cent coins were discontinued in 1991 due to the metal exceeding face value and withdrawn from circulation. Australian coins have [[medallic orientation]], as do most other [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] coinage, [[Japan]]ese [[yen]] coinage, and [[Euro coins|euro coinage]]. This is in contrast to [[coin orientation]], which is used in [[United States coinage]]. {|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%" |- ! colspan=10| '''Australian coins''' <ref>{{citation|url=http://www.ramint.gov.au/designs/ |title=coin designs and what we make|publisher=Royal Australian Mint|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140211193714/http://www.ramint.gov.au/designs/|archivedate=11 February 2014|deadurl=no}}</ref> |- !rowspan=2| Image !!rowspan=2| Value !!colspan=4| Technical parameters !!colspan=3| Description !!rowspan=2| Date of <br />first minting |- ! Diameter !! Thickness !! Weight !! Composition !! Edge !! Obverse !! Reverse |- {{Coin-copper-color}} | style="text-align:center; background-color:#000000;"| [[File:Australian 1c Coin.png|43px]] | [[One cent coin (Australian)|1c]] <br /><small>(no longer used)</small> | 17.65&nbsp;mm | | 2.60 g |rowspan=2| 97% [[copper]]<br />2.5% [[zinc]]<br />0.5% [[tin]] | |rowspan=2| [[Elizabeth II|Queen <br />Elizabeth II]] | [[Feathertail Glider]] |rowspan=2| 1966 |- {{Coin-copper-color}} | style="text-align:center; background-color:#000000;"| [[File:Australian 2c Coin.png|54px]] | [[Two cent coin (Australian)|2c]] <br /><small>(no longer used)</small> | 21.59&nbsp;mm | | 5.20 g | | [[Frill-necked Lizard]] |- {{Coin-silver-color}} | style="text-align:center; background-color:#000000;"| [[File:Australian Five Cents Rev.png|49px]] | [[Five cent coin (Australian)|5c]] | 19.41&nbsp;mm | <1.3&nbsp;mm | 2.83 g |rowspan=4| [[Cupronickel]]<br />75% [[copper]]<br />25% [[nickel]] |rowspan=3| Milled |rowspan=4| [[Elizabeth II|Queen <br />Elizabeth II]] | [[Echidna]] |rowspan=3| 1966 |- {{Coin-silver-color}} | style="text-align:center; background-color:#000000;"| [[File:Australian 10c Coin.png|59px]] | [[Ten cent coin (Australian)|10c]] | 23.60&nbsp;mm | <2&nbsp;mm | 5.65 g | [[Superb Lyrebird]] |- {{Coin-silver-color}} | style="text-align:center; background-color:#000000;"| [[File:Australian 20c Coin.png|71px]] | [[Twenty cent coin (Australian)|20c]] | 28.65&nbsp;mm | <2.5&nbsp;mm | 11.3 g | [[Platypus]] |- {{Coin-silver-color}} | style="text-align:center; background-color:#000000;"| [[File:Australian 50c Coin.png|79px]] | [[Fifty cent coin (Australian)|50c]] | [[Dodecagon]] 31.65&nbsp;mm (across flats) | 2.5&nbsp;mm | 15.55 g | Plain | [[Coat of Arms of Australia|Coat of arms]] | 1969 |- {{Coin-yellow-color}} | style="text-align:center; background-color:#000000;"| [[File:Australian $1 Coin.png|63px]] | [[One dollar coin (Australian)|$1]] | 25.00&nbsp;mm | <3&nbsp;mm | 9.00 g |rowspan=2| 92% [[copper]]<br />6% [[aluminium]]<br />2% [[nickel]] |rowspan=2| Interrupted <br />milled |rowspan=2| [[Elizabeth II|Queen <br />Elizabeth II]] | Five [[kangaroo]]s | 1984 |- {{Coin-yellow-color}} | style="text-align:center; background-color:#000000;"| [[File:Australian $2 Coin.png|51px]] | [[Two dollar coin (Australian)|$2]] | 20.50&nbsp;mm | <3.2&nbsp;mm | 6.60 g | [[Indigenous Australians|Aboriginal Elder]] | 1988 |- |colspan=10|{{Standard coin table notice|standard_scale=Y|BrE=yes}} |} <gallery> Image:Aus coins queen elizabeth 1966.jpg|[[Queen Elizabeth II]] on 1966 coins </gallery> == Commemorative coins == {{Main|Australian commemorative coins}} Many special versions of the 20c, 50c and $1 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. In 2012, a commemorative $2 coin was produced depicting a poppy for [[Remembrance Day]] and in 2013, a coloured purple coin for the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. == 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<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.ramint.gov.au/faq/|publisher=Royal Australian Mint|title=frequently asked questions|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140211193653/http://www.ramint.gov.au/faq/|archivedate=11 February 2014}}</ref> 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.{{sfn|Pitt|2000|pp=90–100}} Nugget coins are issued in ounces and fractions or kilograms and come in gold and platinum, some are denominated in dollars others only their weight value.{{sfn|Pitt|2000|pp=101–109}} == See also == * [[List of people who have appeared on Australian currency]] * [[Swedish rounding]] == Notes == {{reflist}} ==References and further reading== {{refbegin}} * {{numis cite SCWC | date=2004}} * {{citation | title=Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values | edition= 19th ed. | first=Ian W.|last= Pitt | publisher=Renniks Publications | location = [[Chippendale, New South Wales|Chippendale, N.S.W.]] | year=2000 | isbn=978-0-9585574-4-3 }} * {{citation|url=http://www.cruzis-coins.com/ |title=Cruzi's Coins}} * {{citation|url=http://www.triton.vg/ozcoins.html|title=Australian Commonwealth Coinage|date=21 April 2009|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20131208105709/http://triton.vg/ozcoins.html|archivedate=8 December 2013|deadurl=no}} * {{citation|url=http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/macquarie/coins/index.html/|title=Australia's first coins|publisher=State Library of NSW|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140202230115/http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/discover_collections/history_nation/macquarie/coins/index.html|archivedate=2 February 2014|deadurl=no}} * {{citation|url=http://www.australianstamp.com/Coin-web/aust/decimal.htm|title=Australian Decimal Currency|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20121227093532/http://www.australianstamp.com/coin-web/aust/decimal.htm|archivedate=27 December 2012|deadurl=no}} * {{citation|url=http://www.ramint.gov.au/designs/ram-designs/index.cfm |title=about reverse designs|publisher=Royal Australian Mint|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20140211195500/http://www.ramint.gov.au/designs/ram-designs/index.cfm|archivedate=11 February 2014|deadurl=no}} * {{citation|url=http://www.ramint.gov.au/about_ram/CommemorativeCoinDesigns.cfm |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080905211410/http://www.ramint.gov.au/about_ram/CommemorativeCoinDesigns.cfm|title=Internet FAQ|publisher=Royal Australian Mint|archivedate=5 September 2008}} {{refend}} {{Australian currency}} {{Economy of Australia}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Coins Of The Australian Dollar}} [[Category:Decimal coins of Australia| ]] [[Category:Coins of Australia| ]] [[Category:Articles containing video clips]]'