Coins of the Australian dollar facts for kids
The coins of the Australian dollar are the money Australia uses today. They first came out on 14 February 1966. Back then, there were no one-dollar or two-dollar coins. The Australian dollar was worth the same as 10 shillings, which was half of an Australian pound in the old money system.
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Regular Australian Coins
The Royal Australian Mint makes all Australian coins. Until 2022, when she passed away, all coins showed four different pictures of Elizabeth II, who was the Queen of Australia. The first picture was made by Arnold Machin, the second by Raphael Maklouf, the third by Ian Rank-Broadley, and the fourth by Jody Clark.
The back of all coins has designs by an Australian artist named Stuart Devlin. Today, we use 50¢, 20¢, 10¢, and 5¢ coins. Even though they are sometimes called "silver" coins, they are actually made of 75% copper and 25% nickel. For many years, there were also 2¢ and 1¢ coins. These were called "copper" coins, but they were a mix of copper and zinc.
The first 50¢ coin was round and made mostly of silver (80% silver, 20% copper). Soon, the metal in the coin became worth more than 50 cents! It looked a lot like the British half crown coin. To avoid confusion with the 20¢ coin and because of its high metal value, it was only made for one year and then taken out of use. No 50-cent coins were made in 1967 or 1968.
The 50¢ coin started being made in a 12-sided shape in 1969. This 12-sided design had actually been tested in 1966–67. The front of the coin always shows the Queen or King, and the back usually shows the coat of arms of Australia. However, many special 50¢ coins have been made with different designs. The 12-sided 50¢ coin weighs 15.55 grams and is 31.5 mm wide. The old round silver one weighed 13.28 grams and was also 31.5 mm wide.
The "gold" one-dollar and two-dollar coins were introduced in the 1980s. The one-dollar coin came out in 1984. It replaced the one-dollar paper money. The two-dollar coin came out in 1988, also replacing a banknote. These coins are made of 92% copper, 6% aluminium, and 2% nickel. The two-dollar coin is smaller around than the one-dollar coin, but it is a little thicker.
Because the metal in the one-cent and two-cent coins became worth more than their face value, they stopped being made in 1991. They were then taken out of circulation. However, since 1991, both coins have been made for people who collect them. Australian coins have a "medallic" orientation. This means that if you flip the coin over from top to bottom, the design on the back will be right-side up. Most other Commonwealth coins, Japanese yen coins, and euro coins are made this way.
After the death of Elizabeth II, new Australian coins will show a picture of King Charles III on their front. These new coins started being made in 2023.
Coin Details Table
| Image | Value | Technical details | Description | First made | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Front | Back | Diameter | Thickness | Weight | What it's made of | Edge | Front design | Back design | ||
 |
1¢ |
17.65 mm | >1.4 mm | 2.60 g | 97% copper 2.5% zinc 0.5% tin |
Smooth | Queen Elizabeth II | Feathertail glider | 1966–1991 (no longer used) | |
 |
2¢ |
21.59 mm | <1.9 mm | 5.20 g | Frill-necked lizard | |||||
 |
5¢ | 19.41 mm | 1.3 mm | 2.83 g | Cupronickel 75% copper 25% nickel |
Ridged | Queen Elizabeth II |
Echidna | 1966 | |
 |
10¢ | 23.60 mm | 1.5 mm | 5.65 g | Superb lyrebird | |||||
 |
20¢ | 28.65 mm | 2.0 mm | 11.3 g | Platypus | |||||
 |
50¢ | Dodecagon 31.65 mm (across flats) | 2.0 mm | 15.55 g | Smooth | Coat of arms | 1969 | |||
 |
$1 | 25.00 mm | 2.8 mm | 9.00 g | 92% copper 6% aluminium 2% nickel |
Broken ridges |
Queen Elizabeth II |
Five kangaroos | 1984 | |
 |
$2 | 20.50 mm | 3.0 mm | 6.60 g | Aboriginal elder and Southern Cross | 1988 | ||||
Commemorative Coins
Commemorative coins are special coins made to celebrate an event or a person. They have a different design on the back instead of the usual one. Sometimes, all the coins of a certain value for that year will have the new design. Other times, only a few million special coins are made, and the regular coins are still released too.
No special 1¢ coins were ever made. Except for a 2016 coin, there have been no special 5¢ and 10¢ coins either. A special 2¢ coin was released with one of Stuart Devlin's other designs. Many special 50¢ coins have been put into general use since 1970. The first special $1 coin came out in 1986. The first special 20¢ coin was in 1995, and the first special $2 coin was in 2012.
In 1992, the Mint started making special coins that were not meant to be used as everyday money. These are mostly for collectors. In 2016, to celebrate 50 years of Australia's decimal currency, a special design was put on the *front* of the coins. This is the only time the special design has been on the front instead of the back.
Collectable Coins
The Royal Australian Mint often releases coins just for collectors. One famous example is the gold two-hundred-dollar coin series made from 1980 to 1994. Australian collectable coins are still legal money. You can use them like regular money or change them for "normal" coins at a bank.
These collectable coins are made from different metals. These include aluminium bronze, silver, gold, and even coins made from two different metals. Some special gold and platinum coins are called "Nugget coins." They are valued by their weight in ounces or kilograms, and some also have a dollar value.
See also
- List of people who have appeared on Australian currency
- Coins of the Canadian dollar
- Coins of the New Zealand dollar
- Swedish rounding
Images for kids
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Effigy of Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin displayed on coins minted in 1966
