Australian fifty-cent coin

Fifty cents
Australia
Value 0.50 AUD
Mass 15.55 g
Diameter 31.65 mm
Thickness 2.80 mm (maximum) [1]
Edge Plain
Shape Dodecagonal
Composition 75% Copper, 25% Nickel
Years of minting 1969–present
Catalog number —
Obverse
Design Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia
Designer Ian Rank-Broadley
Design date 1999
Reverse
Design Australian coat of arms
Designer Stuart Devlin
Design date 1965

The twelve-sided Australian fifty-cent piece is the third-largest denomination coin of the Australian dollar and the largest under a dollar in circulation. It is the only 12-sided coin of its size in the southern hemisphere. It was introduced in 1969 [2] to replace the round fifty-cent coin issued in 1966.

The original, round, 50-cent coin was made of 80% silver and 20% copper; but as the value of a free-floating silver price became higher, the coin's bullion value became more valuable than its face value; so that version was withdrawn from circulation and replaced with the dodecagonal cupro-nickel version.

It is by diameter the largest Australian coin currently issued and second largest after the Crown of 1937–38. It is also the heaviest Australian coin in common circulation. Many commemorative designs have been issued, the large size allowing for detailed content.

With a diameter of 31.5 mm (1.24 in), the 50-cent coin is one of the largest in size among those currently circulating in the world. Coins of larger diameter include the Costa Rican five-hundred-colónes, Ni Vanuatu fifty-vatu and the fifty-CFP Franc are larger, all 32.9 mm.

Obverse

As with all coins of Australia, the reigning monarch features on the obverse. Only Elizabeth II has been monarch during the coin's existence.

Unlike other decimal denominations, four different portraits of Her Majesty have been used on 50c coins. A unique effigy by Vladimir Gottwald was used for the 2000 Royal Visit commemorative fifty-cent piece.[3][4] This is the only Australian decimal coin to have an obverse designed by an Australian[5] and to have a portrait of the queen which is not also used on British currency.

The other three portraits have featured on all then-current denominations: from 1966 to 1984 one by Arnold Machin,[6] from 1985 to 1998 one by Raphael Maklouf,[7] and since 1999 a portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley.[8] These portraits were introduced to British coins in 1968, 1985, and 1998 respectively.

Commemorative coins

The Australian fifty-cent coin was the first to display a variation of the reverse design in 1970 for the commemorating the bicentennial of Lieutenant James Cook's landing in Australia. Various other designs followed until the one-dollar and twenty-cent also included new designs.

Most years have the coat of arms except those below, years of non-issue are: 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992.

There are two versions of the coat of arms: the older is squeezed into the available space; the newer is laid out unsqueezed.

Standard designs were also issued with commemoratives in the following years: 1981, 2004, 2005 and 2010.

See also

External links

References

  1. ↑ http://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/F2005L04157
  2. ↑ "Australian Coin Collecting Blog - The Complete Guide to Australian 50 Cent Coins".
  3. ↑ http://www.cruzis-coins.com/50c/2000.html
  4. ↑ "Gottwald (2000) - Royal Australian Mint".
  5. ↑ "Gottwald (2000) - Royal Australian Mint".
  6. ↑ "Machin (1966-1984) - Royal Australian Mint".
  7. ↑ "Maklouf (1985-1998) - Royal Australian Mint".
  8. ↑ "Rank-Broadley (1999-present) - Royal Australian Mint".
  9. ↑ "Australian Coin Collecting Blog - The Complete Guide to Australian 50 Cent Coins".
Preceded by
Australian 50 cent coin (round)		 Fifty Cents (Australian)
1969–present 		Succeeded by
Current
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