What are the Different Types of Commemorative Coins in Australia?
To make a particular occasion memorable forever or to highlight unique aspects of Australian life and culture, famous people and renowned organizations have taken the help of these commemorative coins.
Commemorative coins are a great way to celebrate a memorable occasion and are great collectable items for coin lovers and the general public alike.
Commemorative Coins of Australia – Its Varieties
Commemorative coins come in various types, namely circulating legal tender commemorative coins, non-circulating legal tender commemorative coins, and non-legal commemorative coins.
Circulating Legal Tender Coins
These are meant to be used by people in their day-to-day transactions.
Non-Circulating Legal Tender Coins
These are also used for making transactions but are often preserved by the user rather than using them regularly.
Non-Legal Commemorative Coins
These coins are created purely to commemorate an occasion or a special and unique aspect of Australia. They are always in great demand, and the valuation of these coins completely depends on how significant the commemorative theme is. These coins have great trading prospects—both in offline and online markets.
Uncirculated Commemorative Coins
The uncirculated commemorative coins highlight significant Australian people, places and events that hold a very significant place in the lives of the nationals of that country. These are hand-loaded into the coining press when they are made and they are struck on specially burnished blanks at a much slower rate and with great force. They have a soft, matt finish. The material used in their design happens to be the same as that of the materials used in making the circulated coins. As a result, a sharper image with well-defined edges is created. Moreover, they are also a little more polished than the circulating coins. They come with an official certification of authenticity.
Frosted Uncirculated Commemorative Coins
These uncirculated coins hold a special place in coin collectors’ collections. The same processes and technology are used to create the frosted uncirculated coins. The difference between these coins and others is that they are highly polished, have fine-quality images, and are created against a frosted background.
Proof Commemorative Coins
These coins portray the Australian Mint’s great commitment to artistic and engineering excellence. Metals like gold and silver are used to make these coins, which are produced with limited mintage. The blanks of the proof coins get special treatments, are hand-polished, and are cleaned to ensure high-quality strikes.
This striking rate gives these coins a frosted, sculpted foreground and a brilliant shine. The design of these coins is well-defined and intricately designed, with a mirror-like background. The packaging of these coins is also unique. They are encased in a protective capsule in the form of a presentation case. It comes with numbered authentication certificates.
Read more about the Australian Mint's Commemorative Coins
Antique
These coins will truly make one nostalgic by their looks. They are handmade and undergo a series of processes that give them unique and amazingly beautiful physical qualities. They eventually become a treasure for the collector.
The Modern Commemorative Coin Types
So far, you have learned about traditional commemorative coins, but modern commemorative coins are equally valuable. Now, you will learn about these and review a comprehensive list of modern commemorative coins and the subjects on which they were created.
Dollar Commemorative Coins
The one-dollar coin was introduced on 14 May 1984, but it began its journey back in the mid-70s. It came into existence for use in coin-operated machines and in place of the one-dollar note. Mr Stuart Devlin designed the new coin and chose the five-kangaroo commemorative design that is still used today.
Examples of dollar commemorative coins are the coins created in 1988 to commemorate the Australian Bicentenary, designed by Stuart Devlin. Next, is the dollar coin created in 1993 based on the environment. The theme reflects the deep relation between the environment and water quality. This relation is beautifully depicted through a tree sculpted in the flowing form of water on the boy of the coin. This was designed and sculpted by Vladimir Gottwald.
Half Dollar Commemorative Coins
The Australian fifty-cent coin has twelve sides and is the third-highest-valued coin after the Australian dollar. And it is the largest as far as its size and circulation are concerned. It came into existence in 1969 and replaced the round fifty-cent coin that was created back in 1966. The Australian 50 Cent Commemorative Coin is a collection of nine commemorative coins and belongs to the uncirculated type. The nine types include the 1966 Silver Round, 1970 Captain Cook, 1977 Silver Jubilee, 1981 Charles & Diana, 1982 Commonwealth Games, 1988 Bicentennial, 1991 RAMS Head, 1994 Year of the Family, and 1995 'Weary' Dunlop.
Quarters Commemorative Coins
The quarter-cent commemorative coin came into existence as a part of a 14-coin collectors’ set from 10th April 2016 to 23rd April 2016. The four different commemorative coins commemorated the 2016 Anzac to Afghanistan campaign. The first one that was issued was on the 10th of April and had the Learn the Legend displayed on it. The second one was issued on 16th April 2016, featuring the Kokoda trail on the coin. The third coin was issued on 17th April 2016, commemorating the Battle of Long Tan and finally, the last one, issued on 23rd April 2016, commemorated peace.
Copper coins were again released as commemorative coins in 2017 to symbolize the Legends of the ANZACs coin collection. All the coins were designed by Aaron Baggio. They featured the four Australian war medals: the Victoria Cross, the George Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Medal for Gallantry.
Each of these coins is usable as an Australian Legal Tender. They are also the first gold legal tender coins since the Australian two-dollar coins were introduced back in 1988.
