Big Coins

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The Big Coins is a group of sculptures located in Deakin, Australian Capital Territory next to the Royal Australian Mint, depicting the coins of the Australian dollar.

The circle on the left is not a coin, but shows "Est. 1965", denoting the year the Royal Australian Mint was opened. [1]

The Big Coins, one coin for each value Deakin - BIG Coins.jpg
The Big Coins, one coin for each value

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The Australian dollar is the official currency and legal tender of Australia, including all of its external territories, and three independent sovereign Pacific Island states: Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu. As of 2022, it is currently the sixth most-traded currency in the foreign exchange market and also the seventh most-held reserve currency in global reserves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twenty pence (British coin)</span> British decimal coin

The British decimal twenty pence coin is a denomination of sterling coinage worth 15 of a pound. Like the 50p coin, it is an equilateral curve heptagon. Its obverse has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin's introduction on 9 June 1982. Four different portraits of the Queen have been used; the latest design by Jody Clark was introduced in 2015. The second and current reverse, featuring a segment of the Royal Shield, was introduced in 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penny (British decimal coin)</span> Coin, one-hundredth of a pound sterling

The British decimal one penny (1p) coin is a unit of currency and denomination of sterling coinage worth 1100 of one pound. Its obverse featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin's introduction on 15 February 1971, the day British currency was decimalised until her death on 8 September 2022. A new portrait featuring King Charles III was introduced on 30 September 2022, designed by Martin Jennings. Four different portraits of the Queen were used on the obverse; the last design by Jody Clark was introduced in 2015. The second and current reverse, designed by Matthew Dent, features a segment of the Royal Shield and was introduced in 2008. The penny is the lowest value coin ever to circulate in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two pounds (British coin)</span> British coin denominating two pounds sterling

The British two pound (£2) coin is a denomination of sterling coinage. Its obverse has featured the profile of Queen Elizabeth II since the coin’s introduction. Three different portraits of the Queen have been used, with the current design by Jody Clark being introduced in 2015. The reverse design features Britannia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sovereign (British coin)</span> British gold coin

The sovereign is a British gold coin with a nominal value of one pound sterling (£1) and contains 0.2354 troy oz of pure gold. Struck since 1817, it was originally a circulating coin that was accepted in Britain and elsewhere in the world; it is now a bullion coin and is sometimes mounted in jewellery. In addition, circulation strikes and proof examples are often collected for their numismatic value. In most recent years, it has borne the design of Saint George and the Dragon on the reverse; the initials of the designer, Benedetto Pistrucci, are visible to the right of the date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Mint</span> Government-owned mint that produces coins for the United Kingdom

The Royal Mint is the United Kingdom's oldest company and the official maker of British coins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Canadian Mint</span> Crown corporation that produces Canadian coins

The Royal Canadian Mint is the mint of Canada and a Crown corporation, operating under the Royal Canadian Mint Act. The shares of the Mint are held in trust for the Crown in right of Canada.

A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins that can be used as currency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Australian Mint</span> Building in Deakin, Australian Capital Territory

The Royal Australian Mint is the sole producer of all of Australia's circulating coins and is a Commonwealth Government entity operating within the portfolio of the Treasury. The Mint is situated in the Australian federal capital city of Canberra, in Denison St, in the suburb of Deakin. The Mint was opened in 1965 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth Mint</span> Australias official bullion mint, situated in Perth, Western Australia

The Perth Mint is Australia's official bullion mint and wholly owned by the Government of Western Australia. Established on 20 June 1899, two years before Australia's Federation in 1901, the Perth Mint was the last of three Australian colonial branches of the United Kingdom's Royal Mint intended to refine gold from the gold rushes and to mint gold sovereigns and half-sovereigns for the British Empire. Along with the Royal Australian Mint, which produces coins of the Australian dollar for circulation, the Perth Mint is the older of Australia's two mints issuing coins that are legal tender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne Mint</span> Building in Melbourne, Australia

The Melbourne Mint, in Melbourne, Australia, was a branch of the British Royal Mint. It minted gold sovereigns from 1872 until 1931, and half-sovereigns (intermittently) from 1873 until 1915. In 1916 it commenced minting Commonwealth silver threepences, sixpences, shillings and florins. From 1923 it minted all pre-decimal denominations. It minted rarities such as the 1921/22 overdate threepence, 1923 half-penny and 1930 penny, as well as Australia's four commemorative florins in 1927 (Canberra), 1934/35, 1951 and 1954. It assisted the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra in producing one cent coins from 1966 to 1968 and two cent coins in 1966. From 1969 all coin production moved to the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, and the building housing the coin minting equipment was demolished shortly afterwards. The remaining administrative building is now the home of the Royal Historical Society of Victoria, and has been leased to the private sector since 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian fifty-cent coin</span> Current denomination of Australian currency

The twelve-sided Australian fifty-cent coin is the third-highest denomination coin of the Australian dollar and the largest in terms of size in circulation. It is equal in size and shape to the Cook Island $5 coin, and both remain the only 12-sided coins in the southern hemisphere. It was introduced in 1969 to replace the round fifty-cent coin issued in 1966.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian one-dollar coin</span> Current denomination of Australian currency

The Australian one-dollar coin is the second most valuable circulation denomination coin of the Australian dollar after the two-dollar coin; there are also non-circulating legal-tender coins of higher denominations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian two-dollar coin</span> Current denomination of Australian currency

The Australian two-dollar coin is the highest-denomination coin of the Australian dollar. It was first issued on 20 June 1988, having been in planning since the mid-1970s. It replaced the Australian two-dollar note due to having a longer circulatory life. The only "mint set only" year was 1991.

The Australian florin was a coin used in the Commonwealth of Australia before decimalisation in 1966. The florin was worth two shillings . The denomination was first minted in 1910 to the same size and weight as the British florin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shilling (Australian)</span>

The shilling, informally called a "bob", was a type of silver coinage issued by the Commonwealth of Australia, that circulated prior to the decimalisation of Australian coinage. The Australian shilling was derived from the British pre-decimal sterling pound system and was first issued following the passing of the Australian Coinage Act 1909, which established Australia's first formal currency system. The shilling was issued as part of Australia's silver coinage, which included the two-shilling (florin), the sixpence and the threepence. The shilling was minted from 1910 until 1963. During this period there was one significant modification to the design of the Australian shilling, the change in its reverse design, which occurred in 1938 when the design was altered from the Australian Coat of Arms (1910-1936) to the visage of a Merino ram’s head (1938-1963).

Coins of the Australian dollar are circulated with different designs depicting various anniversaries or significant Australian events, these differing coin designs being labelled Australian commemorative coins. Typically, only the 20c, 50c, $1 and $2 coins have been minted in commemoration.

References

  1. "About the Mint". www.ramint.gov.au. 5 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2022.

Coordinates: 35°19′05″S149°05′38″E / 35.31815°S 149.09389°E / -35.31815; 149.09389