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Commemorative coins of Australia facts for kids

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Have you ever looked closely at the coins in your pocket? Australian coins sometimes have special designs! These are called Australian commemorative coins. They celebrate important events or anniversaries in Australia's history. Usually, only the 20 cent, 50 cent, $1, and $2 coins get these cool, unique designs.

The $2 Coin: Small but Special

Australia's first special $2 coin came out in 2012. It honored Remembrance Day. This coin had a red poppy in the middle. Tiny words around it said "remembrance day" and "lest we forget". Australia was only the second country to have colored coins in circulation!

Year Issued What it Celebrated How many in set Designer What it Looks Like How many were made
2012 Remembrance Day – Red Poppy 1 Aaron Baggio A red poppy in the center with tiny words. 503,000
Remembrance Day – Gold Poppy 1 Aaron Baggio A regular poppy in the center with tiny words. 5,799,000
2013 60 years since Queen Elizabeth II became Queen 1 Aleksandra Stokic Purple circles with St Edward's Crown in the middle. 995,000
2014 Remembrance Day – Dove 1 Royal Australian Mint A dove with an olive branch, surrounded by green circles. 1,856,000
2015 ANZAC Cove – Lest We Forget 1 Aleksandra Stokic Poppies and graves around a red circle with "Lest We Forget". 1,466,000
Flanders Field 1 Aleksandra Stokic Birds called larks around orange rings, like a sunset. 2,151,000
2016 50 years of decimal currency 1 G. K. Gray A special design for the 50th anniversary of decimal currency. 2,885,000
Australian Olympic Team 6 Bronwyn King Six different coins with the Olympic team logo and different colors. 12,000,000 (2,000,000 of each)
2017 War Memorial Dome – Lest We Forget 1 Tony Dean A picture of the mosaic from the Australian War Memorial. 3,975,000
Remembrance Day – Rosemary Sprig 1 Aleksandra Stokic A green and purple design with rosemary leaves and flowers. 2,122,000
Possum Magic 3 Three coins featuring characters from the 'Possum Magic' book.
2018 Eternal Flame – Lest We Forget 1 Bronwyn King A picture of the eternal flame from the War Memorial. 5,400,000
Invictus Games 1 Aleksandra Stokic An athlete in a wheelchair, for the games in Sydney. 2,100,000
Armistice 1 Tony Dean The number 100 with a poppy in the middle zero. 1,658,000
Australian Commonwealth Games Team 3 The Commonwealth Games team logo with blue, green, and gold colors.
2019 100 years of Repatriation 1 Adam William Ball An old Australian Defence Force badge with poppy petals. 2,127,000
Police Remembrance 1 Adam William Ball A police badge with a blue and white checkered ring. 2,000,000
Rugby Union 1 A green and gold ring with a wallaby holding a ball.
Mr Squiggle 4 Four coins with 'Mr Squiggle' and his friends.
2020 Australian Olympic Team 6 The Olympic team logo in blue, green, gold, red, and black.
ICC Women's T20 World Cup 1 Royal Australian Mint A female cricketer with a colored circle. 2,182,000
75 years since the End of World War II 1 Tony Dean A green, blue, and white circle with a peace dove. 600,000
Firefighters 1 Aleksandra Stokic A male and female firefighter with an orange flame. 1,600,000
2021 Indigenous Military Service 1 Chern’ee Sutton A black handprint with dots and Aboriginal objects. 1,000,000
The Wiggles 4 Four coins for the 30th anniversary of The Wiggles.
Ambulance Services 1 Aaron Baggio Paramedics helping a patient, with a green ring and Maltese cross.
Aboriginal Flag 1 Harold Thomas A design celebrating 50 years of the Aboriginal Flag. 2,000,000
2022 Australian Frontline Workers 1 Adam William Ball A ring of 12 pictures of frontline workers.
Honey Bee 1 Aleksandra Stokic Two honey bees on a honeycomb sphere with flowers.

The $1 Coin: A Story on Every Side

The $1 coin also has many special designs. Some years, like 1987 or 1989, these coins were only made for special collector sets, not for everyday use. Most $1 coins have a kangaroo design, but many special ones feature different images.

Year Issued What it Celebrated Designer What it Looks Like How many were made
1986 International Year of Peace Horst Hahne Hands holding a dove. 25,100,000
1988 200 years since the First Fleet arrived Stuart Devlin An Aboriginal design of a Koori Kangaroo. 20,400,000
1993 Landcare Australia Vladimir Gottwald Wavy lines and hands shaping Australia. 15,000,000
1996 100 years since Sir Henry Parkes died Wojciech Pietranik A picture of Sir Henry Parkes, who helped create Australia. 26,200,000
1997 100 years since Sir Charles Kingsford Smith was born Wojciech Pietranik A picture of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith and a plane. 24,381,000
1999 International Year of Older Persons Wojciech Pietranik A logo for older people: "towards a society for all ages". 29,218,000
2001 100 years of Federation Wojciech Pietranik The Centenary of Federation logo. 27,905,390
International Year of the Volunteer Wojciech Pietranik The International Year of Volunteers logo. 6,000,000
2002 Year of the Outback Wojciech Pietranik The Year of Outback logo. 35,373,000
2003 Australia's Volunteers Wojciech Pietranik A spiral shape like Australia's outline. 4,149,000
100 years of Women's Suffrage Vladimir Gottwald Women from a suffrage banner. 10,007,000
2005 60 years since the end of World War II Wojciech Pietranik The Dancing Man symbol. 34,200,000
2007 APEC Australia 2007 Wojciech Pietranik The APEC logo, a star made of boomerangs. 20,100,000
2008 100 years of Scouts Australia Caitlin Goodall The Australian Scout symbol, a flame with the Southern Cross. 17,200,000
2009 100 years of the Age Pension Wojciech Pietranik People representing pensioners. 10,158,000
2010 100 years of Girl Guides Australia Wojciech Pietranik The Australian Girl Guides symbol. 12,585,000
2011 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting Tim Leaversuch The logo for the meeting in Perth. 9,397,000
2014 ANZAC Centenary The ANZAC centenary logo: a soldier reflecting. 23,000,000
2015 ANZAC Centenary The ANZAC centenary logo: a soldier reflecting. Not Available
2016 ANZAC Centenary The ANZAC centenary logo: a soldier reflecting.
50 years of Decimal Currency Stuart Devlin A special design for the 50th anniversary of decimal currency.
2017 ANZAC Centenary The ANZAC centenary logo: a soldier reflecting.
2018 ANZAC Centenary The ANZAC centenary logo: a soldier reflecting.
2020 100 years of Qantas The Qantas Centenary logo.
2020 Donation Dollar A dollar coin made to be donated.

The 50 Cent Coin: Big and Bold Designs

The 50 cent coin is Australia's largest coin, so it has plenty of space for detailed and interesting commemorative designs!

Year Issued What it Celebrated Designer What it Looks Like How many were made
1970 200 years since James Cook explored Australia's east coast Stuart Devlin A picture of Captain Cook with a map of Australia. 16,548,000
1977 Silver Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Stuart Devlin A special design for the Queen's Silver Jubilee. 25,067,000
1981 Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer Stuart Devlin Pictures of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. 20,000,000
1982 1982 Commonwealth Games in Brisbane Stuart Devlin A design about the Commonwealth Games. 49,610,200
1988 200 years since the First Fleet Michael Tracey A ship. 8,100,000
1991 25 years of Decimal Currency George Kruger Gray & Horst Hahne A Merino ram's head. 4,700,000
1994 International Year of the Family Carolyn Rosser A family. 20,876,100
1995 50 years since the end of World War II Louis Laumen & Horst Hahne Sir Edward 'Weary' Dunlop. 15,869,200
1998 200 years since the discovery of The Bass Strait Vladimir Gottwald Pictures of Bass & Flinders. 22,389,200
2000 Millennium Year 2000 Vladimir Gottwald A stylized Australian flag. 16,630,000
Royal visit Vladimir Gottwald A flag pole at Parliament House. 5,145,000
2001 100 years of Federation – Australia 43,149,600
100 years of Federation – New South Wales William Applegate Gullick. The New South Wales Coat of Arms. 3,042,000
100 years of Federation – Australian Capital Territory 2,000,000
100 years of Federation – Queensland 2,320,000
100 years of Federation – Victoria 2,800,000
100 years of Federation – Northern Territory 2,080,000
100 years of Federation – Western Australia 2,400,000
100 years of Federation – South Australia 2,400,000
100 years of Federation – Tasmania 2,160,000
100 years of Federation – Norfolk Island 2,160,000
2002 Year of the Outback Wojciech Pietranik 11,507,000
2003 Australia's Volunteers Vladimir Gottwald 13,927,000
2004 Student Design Vladimir Gottwald & Student John Serrano Animals: Wombat, Koala and Lorikeet. 10,577,000
2005 Remembrance: 60 years since the end of World War II Wojciech Pietranik Soldier shapes by a grave. 21,033,000
Student Design – 2006 Commonwealth Games Melbourne 21,000,000
2010 Australia Day 2010 Vladimir Gottwald 11,452,000
2014 50 years of Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies – AIATSIS The AIATSIS logo, based on a shield. 3,000,000
2016 50 years of Decimal Currency A special design for the 50th anniversary of decimal currency.
2017 25 Years – Mabo Decision & 50 Years – 1967 Referendum Pictures of Eddie Mabo and a 1967 Referendum card.
2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages Words meaning "money" in 14 different Indigenous languages.
2022 75 years of Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) ASD cryptographic experts Secret encrypted text and codes.

The 20 Cent Coin: Art in Your Pocket

The 20 cent coin has also been used for many special designs, including some created by students!

Year Issued What it Celebrated Designer What it Looks Like How many were made
1995 50 years of the United Nations Horst Hahne The UN emblem. 4,835,000
2001 Tribute to Sir Donald Bradman Vladimir Gottwald Donald Bradman in cricket gear. 10,000,000
100 years of Federation – New South Wales Student Joseph Neve The NSW emblem. 3,202,500
100 years of Federation – Australian Capital Territory Student Stacy Jo-Ann Paine A student's design. 2,100,000
100 years of Federation – Queensland Student Jenifer Gray A student's design. 2,300,000
100 years of Federation – Victoria Students Ryan Ladd & Mark Kennedy A student's design. 2,900,000
100 years of Federation – Norfolk Island Student Megan Cunnings A student's design. 2,200,000
100 years of Federation – Northern Territory Student Lisa Brett A student's design. 2,100,000
100 years of Federation – Western Australia Student Janice Ng A student's design. 2,400,000
100 years of Federation – South Australia Student Lisa Murphy A student's design. 2,400,000
100 years of Federation – Tasmania Student Abbey MacDonald A student's design. 2,200,000
2003 Australia's Volunteers Vladimir Gottwald 7,574,000
2005 60 years since the end of World War II Vladimir Gottwald Words: WORLD WAR 1939-1945 COMING HOME. 33,500,000
2010 100 years of The Australian Tax Office 11,575,000
2011 Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton 10,123,000
100 years of International Women's Day 6,773,000
International Year of Volunteers Plus 10 6,111,000
2013 Canberra Centenary An aerial view of Canberra City. 6,083,000
2016 50 years of Decimal Currency A special design for the 50th anniversary of decimal currency.
2022 90 years of ABC Aleksandra Stokic

The 10 Cent Coin: A Rare Commemoration

The 10 cent coin has only had one special design for circulation.

Year Issued What it Celebrated Designer What it Looks Like How many were made
2016 50 years of decimal currency A special design for the 50th anniversary of decimal currency.

The 5 Cent Coin: Tiny but Significant

The smallest Australian coin, the 5 cent piece, also had a special design for one important anniversary.

Year Issued What it Celebrated Designer What it Looks Like How many were made
2016 50 years of Decimal Currency Stuart Devlin A special design for the 50th anniversary of decimal currency.
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