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Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins

2026-08-29T09:42:51Z

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===== Set-Exclusive Coins =====
Most of the coins in an uncirculated year set are, in design at least, the same coins the Mint was striking for circulation that year - simply selected, struck and packaged to a higher standard. Across the six decades of the series, however, the sets have also carried coins that were '''never issued for circulation at all'''. The Mint strikes circulating coins only when the banking system requires them, and in years when existing stocks were sufficient no circulating coins of a denomination were struck - yet the year set still needed one of every denomination. The result is the '''set-only date''': a coin that exists only in the year sets and proof sets of its year, and can never be found in change.

A second kind of exclusive is the coin given a special design or finish for the set that the circulating version never received - coloured prints, custom reverses and anniversary portraits. Both kinds are catalogued on this page - together with the stories of how and why the Mint made them - supplementing the year-by-year coverage on the [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins|main UNC page]].

===== The Set-Only Dates =====
Twelve year sets contain denominations that were not struck for circulation in that year. The pattern is confirmed by the Mint's own circulating-coin mintage tables, which have no entry at all for these denominations in these years. Checking a set against the table below is worthwhile: several of these dates are the key scarcities of modern decimal coinage, and an intact set is the only way to acquire them with certainty in uncirculated condition.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Year set'''
! align="center" |'''Coins found only in sets'''
! align="center" |'''Notes'''
|-
| align="center" |1985
| align="center" |5c
| align="center" |First seven-coin set, and the Maklouf portrait's first year
|-
| align="center" |1986
| align="center" |1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c
| align="center" |Only the Peace $1 circulated - Australia's first commemorative dollar
|-
| align="center" |1987
| align="center" |2c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $1
| align="center" |Only the 1c and 5c were issued
|-
| align="center" |1989
| align="center" |20c, 50c, $1
| align="center" |Three of the set's eight coins are set-only dates
|-
| align="center" |1990
| align="center" |2c, 20c, 50c, $1
| align="center" |The last circulating 1c date
|-
| align="center" |1991
| align="center" |1c, 2c, 20c, $1, $2
| align="center" |The farewell 1c/2c set; the last circulating 2c date was 1989
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set|1992]]
| align="center" |20c, 50c
| align="center" |The standard 1992 $1 had a circulation mintage of just 8,000
|-
| align="center" |1993
| align="center" |20c
| align="center" |The 1993 50c circulated, but with a mintage of only 1.0 million
|-
| align="center" |1995
| align="center" |10c
| align="center" |Australia Remembers 50 cent theme year
|-
| align="center" |1996
| align="center" |10c
| align="center" |Sir Henry Parkes 1 dollar theme year
|-
| align="center" |2012
| align="center" |$1
| align="center" |Special Edition set, carrying the hyper-metallic 50 cent
|-
| align="center" |2023
| align="center" |5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, $2
| align="center" |Only the $1 circulated; the set also carries the coloured Vegemite $1
|}

===== The Standout Years =====
The classic of the genre is the '''1986 set'''. The Mint struck no 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c or 50c coins for circulation that year, so the only circulating coin dated 1986 is the International Year of Peace one dollar - itself Australia's first commemorative dollar. Every other 1986 decimal coin exists only in the year and proof sets, which makes the set six key dates in a single folder and explains the premium intact examples command. The '''1987 set''' is nearly as strong: five of its seven coins never circulated, and only the 1c and 5c were issued.

The pattern began two years earlier with the '''1985 set''', whose 5c is a set-only date from the first year of the seven-coin era - and even the 1985 coins that did circulate were struck in small numbers, with mintages of just 2.0 million (10c), 2.7 million (20c) and 1.0 million (50c). At the turn of the 1990s the phenomenon deepened as coin demand eased: the '''1989''', '''1990''' and '''1991''' sets each carry three to five set-only dates, and the '''1991 farewell set''' is the most extreme of them. With the 1c and 2c heading for withdrawal from circulation in 1992, the last circulating 1c coins were dated 1990 and the last circulating 2c 1989 - so the 1991-dated 1c, 2c, 20c, $1 and $2 all exist only in the sets. The run continued past the changeover to six coins: the 1992 and 1993 sets both carry set-only 20c coins, and the 1992 50c likewise never circulated.

At the other end of the series stands the '''2023 set'''. After coin demand fell away in the early 2020s, the Mint struck nothing for circulation except the one dollar - no 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c or $2 coins dated 2023 were released at all. Five of the set's six coins are therefore set-only dates, joined by the coloured Vegemite Centenary one dollar that gives the set its theme. For anyone assembling a date run of the current denominations, the 2023 set is simply the only source of five of them.

===== Designs and Finishes Unique to the Sets =====
From the 2000s the Mint increasingly gave the year set a coin that circulation never saw - a coloured print, a custom reverse or a special finish. The themed commemoratives of earlier decades, by contrast, generally circulated as well as appearing in the sets.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Year set'''
! align="center" |'''Coin'''
! align="center" |'''Set-exclusive feature'''
! align="center" |'''How it was made'''
|-
| align="center" |2000
| align="center" |50c
| align="center" |Millennium design; colour trials created the rare incused flag variety
| align="center" |Colour print trials on a recessed flag
|-
| align="center" |2004
| align="center" |20c
| align="center" |The "Coins Come Alive" set; the large-head obverse variety is known mainly from the mint sets
| align="center" |Obverse die batch transition
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set|2006]]
| align="center" |1c, 2c
| align="center" |One-off return of the withdrawn denominations, dated 2006
| align="center" |Classic reverses with the then-current portrait
|-
| align="center" |2012
| align="center" |50c
| align="center" |Hyper-metallic selective print on the Coat of Arms
| align="center" |Selective print in metallic inks
|-
| align="center" |2013
| align="center" |20c
| align="center" |Coloured Centenary of Canberra design
| align="center" |Colour print; the plain design circulated
|-
| align="center" |2014
| align="center" |$1
| align="center" |Coloured one dollar
| align="center" |Selective colour print
|-
| align="center" |2023
| align="center" |$1
| align="center" |Coloured Vegemite Centenary design
| align="center" |Colour print
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024]]
| align="center" |All six
| align="center" |A different effigy on every coin, the Change of Monarch set
| align="center" |Six sets of portrait tooling in one set
|-
| align="center" |2025
| align="center" |50c
| align="center" |Coloured design after Devlin's Order of Australia medal
| align="center" |Colour print
|-
| align="center" |2026
| align="center" |10c, 50c
| align="center" |Custom reverses for the 60th anniversary of decimal currency
| align="center" |New reverse designs
|}

Two further years deserve mention alongside the table. The [[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016 Changeover set]] carried the 50th anniversary obverses on all six coins; modest numbers of these coins also reached circulation, but the set remains their reliable source. The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy on all six coins, and the 2021 and 2022 sets carried coloured two dollar commemoratives that were also released to circulation - with the sets guaranteeing examples in mint condition.

===== How and Why They Were Made =====
The set-only dates exist because of the way Australia's coin supply is ordered. The Mint does not strike circulating coins to a schedule of its own: it strikes them against orders from the banking system, and when existing stocks are sufficient no coins of a denomination are struck at all. Demand for the smaller denominations sagged badly through the mid-1980s, and again after card payments took hold in the early 2020s, which is why the set-only years cluster at 1985-1987, 1989-1993, 1995-1996 and 2023. The year set, by contrast, must contain one coin of every denomination each and every year, so the Mint struck small dedicated runs of the missing dates purely for the sets - coins that never passed through a bank, a till or a pocket. They were struck on the same presses, from the same alloy and usually from the same dies as the circulating coinage, and were simply batched, handled and sealed separately.

The special finishes are a story of decorating technology. Colour is applied after striking by pad printing: a silicone pad lifts ink from an etched plate and presses it onto the coin's relief, one coin at a time. The process lies behind the 2000 Millennium 50 cent's famous variety - the coloured flag needed a recessed pocket to hold its ink, and coins struck from the recessed dies without the colour applied found their way into circulation as the rare incused flag. The hyper-metallic effect of the 2012 Special Edition set is the same technique with metallic inks, printed selectively so the Arms shine against plain metal. The designs themselves now begin as computer-cut tooling: the Mint engraves each design directly into tool steel with computer-controlled machines, creating the reduction punch from which the working dies are made.

The portrait coins showcase the Mint's tool-making rather than its printing. The 2016 Changeover set required a one-off anniversary obverse cut for the year and used across all six denominations, and the 2024 Change of Monarch set went much further, pairing the six denominations with six different effigies - which meant preparing and coordinating six sets of obverse tooling for a single annual product. Even the plain 2004 set tells a tooling story: the Mint changed obverse die batches during the year, leaving the famous "flat A" and "pointed A" portrait varieties that collectors chase across that year's coins.

===== An Innovative Mint =====
Australia's decimal program was itself an exercise in minting innovation, and the year sets have inherited it. The 1966 changeover demanded coin on a scale no single mint could supply, and it was met by striking on two continents at once - the Royal Mint in London supplied cupro-nickel coins for the changeover, and the new currency was delivered to banks across the country under the codename Operation Fastbuck (see the [[Australian Coins of 1966|1966 year page]]).

The modern Mint's pioneering is quieter but just as real. It was the first mint in the world to be accredited to the ISO 9002 international quality standard, and it holds the accreditation today in its current ISO 9001:2015 form. The 2006-2009 refurbishment of the Canberra factory, at a cost of $41.2 million, brought industrial robots into the production flow. On the coins themselves, November 2001 brought the world's first double-hologram coin for the centenary of Federation, the 2004 proof year set carried a one dollar with a lenticular kangaroo hologram, and in 2012 the red poppy two dollar became Australia's first coloured circulating coin, placing the Mint among the small group of world mints to put colour into everyday change. The 2024 set's six portraits are a fitting continuation: no other national mint is known to have issued an annual set with a different effigy on every coin.

===== Collector Significance =====
Set-only dates are the backbone of decimal key-date collecting. The 1986 and 1991 sets in particular contain coins that catalogues list at many times the value of ordinary dates, and because the coins were struck, handled and sealed as sets, well-preserved examples surface far more readily than circulation strikes ever could. Collectors assembling date runs of a single denomination soon discover that certain years simply cannot be completed from change: a date run of the 5c, for example, can only pass 1985, 1986 and 2023 by way of the sets.

For set buyers the message is equally practical. An intact set from a set-only year is worth more than the sum of its loose coins, so the 1985-1987, 1989-1993, 1995, 1996, 2012 and 2023 sets deserve particular care in storage and handling. It is also worth checking a set's contents before purchase, as sets from these years are occasionally found with a set-only coin replaced by a circulation strike of another date - a fault that is obvious against the table above but easy to miss at a glance.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 1986 set - six of its seven coins were never issued for circulation.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 5c.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 1c 2c.jpg|200px]]
|The set-only 1985 5c, and the farewell 1c and 2c of 1991 - dates that exist only in sets.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 1 dollar.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 hyper-metallic 50c.jpg|200px]]
|The set-only 2012 one dollar, and the hyper-metallic 50c of the Special Edition set.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 Vegemite 1 dollar.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The coloured Vegemite Centenary one dollar, and the 2023 set - the only source of five denominations for the year.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 Millennium 50c.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 coloured 20c.jpg|200px]]
|The Millennium 50 cent of 2000, whose colour trials created the incused flag variety, and the coloured Centenary of Canberra 20 cent of 2013.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 obverse varieties.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 1c 2c.jpg|200px]]
|The flat A and pointed A obverses of the 2004 set, and the one-off 2006 return of the 1 cent and 2 cent.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 coloured 1 dollar.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 portraits.jpg|200px]]
|The coloured one dollar of 2014, and the six portraits of the 2024 Change of Monarch set.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 Honours 50c.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 custom reverses.jpg|200px]]
|The coloured Honours 50 cent of 2025, and the custom 10 cent and 50 cent reverses struck for the 60th anniversary of decimal currency in 2026.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian Coins of 1966]]
* [[Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set]]
* [[Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set]]
* [[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set]]
* [[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T09:38:19Z

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===== The Set =====
The 2006 mint set celebrated the 40th anniversary of decimal currency and did so in the most direct way possible: by bringing back the 1 cent and 2 cent coins. The set was a one-off return to eight coins, the two bronze denominations joining the five standard coins and the two dollar for the first time since 1991. The mintage was 87,407 and the issue price $23.50, and the set proved popular with collectors who had grown up with the small coins.

===== The Returning Small Coins =====
The 1 cent and 2 cent coins in the set are dated 2006 - bronze denominations that had been withdrawn from circulation fourteen years earlier, struck once more for the anniversary year and never issued in a later set. Their feathertail glider and frill-necked lizard reverses, absent from the coinage since 1992, returned exactly as Stuart Devlin had drawn them in 1966. For denomination collectors the two coins are the only post-1991 examples of their kind in uncirculated condition, which gives the set an importance beyond its anniversary theme.

The remaining six coins - 5 cent, 10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent, one dollar and two dollars - carry their standard designs, all with the Ian Rank-Broadley obverse. The set is a natural bookend to the 1992 Barcelona set, which began the six-coin era that this anniversary issue briefly interrupted.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Presentation folder
|-
| Coins
| 8 (1 cent to 2 dollars - one-off composition)
|-
| Special feature
| The 1 cent and 2 cent return for the anniversary
|-
| Mintage
| 87,407
|-
| Issue price
| $23.50
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 2006 anniversary set: eight coins, with the 1 cent and 2 cent back for one year only.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 1c 2c.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |
|The returning 1 cent and 2 cent, struck for one year only after fourteen years away.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian one-cent coin]]
* [[Australian two-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T09:31:41Z

Admin: Redirected page to Australian Coins of 1966

#REDIRECT [[Australian Coins of 1966]]

Australian 1969 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T09:13:12Z

Admin:

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===== The Set =====
The 1969 mint set was the second decimal year set and the first of the continuous annual series that has run ever since: no sets were issued for 1967 or 1968, years in which the five smaller denominations were struck but the silver 50 cent was not. As before, it contained the six circulating denominations from the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] to the 50 cent, with the coins housed unsealed in a plastic wallet. The issue price remained $1.50, and the official mintage was 31,176 sets.

===== The Two Wallets =====
Collectors recognise two varieties of the 1969 set, distinguished only by the colour of the wallet: 16,825 sets were issued in a red wallet and 14,351 in blue, and the two figures together account for the full mintage. The blue wallet is slightly scarcer and carries a modest premium, but the difference is one of packaging alone - the coins are identical. Both wallets follow the simple style of the era, with the six loose coins held in individual pockets behind a printed cover.

===== The Coins =====
The set is the first year set to contain the dodecagonal [[Australian fifty-cent coin|fifty cent coin]], which replaced the short-lived round silver original in 1969. All six coins carry the Arnold Machin obverse and Stuart Devlin's standard reverses, so the set has no commemorative designs. The 1969 date is nonetheless an interesting one for the mint set collector: the 2 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent coins were struck for circulation in comparatively small numbers that year, so intact sets remain a principal source of choice uncirculated examples with full original lustre.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Plastic wallet, coins unsealed - red or blue
|-
| Coins
| 6 (1 cent to 50 cent)
|-
| Commemorative designs
| None
|-
| Mintage
| 31,176 (16,825 red, 14,351 blue)
|-
| Issue price
| $1.50
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 1969 set: six unsealed coins in their plastic wallet.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 blue wallet.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |
|The scarcer blue wallet variety. Mintage 14,351.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian fifty-cent coin]]
* [[Australian twenty-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins

2026-08-29T09:05:59Z

Admin:

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===== Definition =====
An uncirculated (UNC) coin is one which has never been released into general circulation or used as currency - in the words of the Royal Australian Mint's own glossary, "a coin which has not been distributed or used as currency". In everyday collecting the term is used in two related ways. As a '''grade''', it describes any coin that shows no wear from handling, whether it came from a sealed mint set, an untouched mint roll or a lucky bank bag. As a '''product''', it refers to coins the Mint strikes specially for collectors on a dedicated uncirculated press, finished and packaged to a higher standard than coins made for spending.

On the international 70-point grading scale, uncirculated corresponds to the Mint State range from MS60 to MS70. An MS60 coin is technically uncirculated but may show heavy bag marks and dull lustre, while MS70 describes a flawless coin with full original brilliance and no imperfections visible under magnification. Bag marks - the small contact marks picked up when coins knock against each other in mint handling - are present on virtually all uncirculated coins and do not disqualify the grade; it is their number and severity that decides where a coin sits between MS60 and MS70.

===== Characteristics =====
* Purpose: Collecting. Uncirculated coins are sold directly to collectors and never pass through the banking system.

* Finish: Mint condition, sharper than circulated coins. Fields retain their original mint lustre with no wear on the high points of the design.

* Strike: Struck once on selected blanks by a dedicated uncirculated press running at a fraction of circulating-press speed, giving a sharper impression than coins made for general circulation.

* Handling: Coins are monitored on the production line and individually packaged, then sold through the Mint's shop, eShop and dealer network rather than delivered to banks.

* Availability: Offered each year as the six-coin uncirculated year set (the traditional "mint set"), together with themed special editions.

===== Production =====
Uncirculated coins are struck on a dedicated press with an automatic feed capable of up to 80 coins per minute, or around 20,000 coins per day. By comparison, the circulating-coin presses strike up to 650 coins per minute with pressures of up to 200 tonnes. Staff monitor the conveyor belt as uncirculated coins leave the press and remove any that do not meet standard, and the finished coins are individually packaged for the Mint's shop, eShop and commercial dealers. Blanks destined for uncirculated and proof coins may also be burnished - spun in a drum with steel balls and detergent - to remove unwanted surface marks before striking.

The uncirculated finish sits between circulating and proof quality. A proof coin is struck four to six times on a manually operated press with 180 to 360 tonnes of pressure, using specially prepared dies to create frosted designs on mirror-like fields, and each piece is individually inspected under magnification. The Mint emphasises that proof is a method of manufacture, not a condition or grade. Uncirculated coins share the single strike of a circulating coin but benefit from slower production, selected blanks and careful handling.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Attribute'''
! align="center" |'''Circulated'''
! align="center" |'''Uncirculated'''
! align="center" |'''Proof'''
|-
| align="center" |Strike rate
| align="center" |Up to 650 per minute
| align="center" |Up to 80 per minute
| align="center" |Manual press
|-
| align="center" |Strikes per coin
| align="center" |1
| align="center" |1
| align="center" |4-6
|-
| align="center" |Striking pressure
| align="center" |Up to 200 tonnes
| align="center" |-
| align="center" |180-360 tonnes
|-
| align="center" |Blank treatment
| align="center" |Standard
| align="center" |Selected; may be burnished
| align="center" |Annealed, pickled and burnished
|-
| align="center" |Inspection
| align="center" |Sampled in bags
| align="center" |Monitored on conveyor
| align="center" |Individual, under magnification
|-
| align="center" |Distribution
| align="center" |Banks
| align="center" |Mint shop, eShop, dealers
| align="center" |Mint shop, eShop, dealers
|}

===== Uncirculated Year Sets =====
Since decimal currency began, the Royal Australian Mint has marked each year with an uncirculated year set - the traditional "mint set" - containing one example of every circulating denomination. The first set, issued for [[Australian Coins of 1966|1966]], contained six coins from the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] to the [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|round 50 cent]] piece, and appeared in five different packagings described in the next section. No sets were issued for 1967 or 1968, even though the five smaller denominations carried those dates; only the silver 50 cent was absent, and the annual series proper began in 1969.

The composition of the set has followed the evolution of Australia's coinage. The [[Australian one dollar coin|one dollar coin]] was added in 1985, making a seven-coin set, and the [[Australian two dollar coin|two dollar coin]] brought the count to eight in 1988. The 1991 set was the last to include the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] and [[Australian two-cent coin|2 cent]] coins, and from 1992 - the year the two small denominations were withdrawn from circulation - the set settled at its modern six coins. In 2006, for the 40th anniversary of decimal currency, the Mint issued a one-off eight-coin set that welcomed the 1 cent and 2 cent coins back for the occasion, and every set since has contained the six standard denominations.

Most years carry a commemorative theme expressed through a special design on one or more coins, with the remaining coins showing the standard [[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]] reverses. Landmark years include [[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988's First Fleet Bicentenary set]], struck to a record 250,000 mintage, and [[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016]], when for the first time every coin in the set carried a commemorative obverse celebrating the 50th anniversary of the changeover. The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, and the [[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024 Change of Monarch set]] paid tribute to the transition by pairing each of the six denominations with a different portrait - five effigies of Queen Elizabeth II from Mary Gillick's 1953 portrait onward, and the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III.

Not every coin in the sets matches its circulating counterpart. In years when the Mint struck no coins of a denomination for circulation, the year set carries the only examples of that date - twelve year sets contain such set-only coins, none more strikingly than 1986, when six of the set's seven coins never reached circulation at all. These dates, together with the special designs and finishes that only the sets have carried, are catalogued on the [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins|set exclusive coins page]], which also tells the stories of how and why they were made.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Mint Set.jpg|300px]]
|A typical six-coin uncirculated year set in its sealed presentation folder.
|}

===== The 1966 Sets =====
More than one kind of 1966 mint set exists - the first-year issue appeared in five distinct packagings, and their mintages together account for the official figure of 105,909 sets. The version most often seen is the '''carded set''': coins sealed in plastic within a blue and white cardboard holder, initially available only to visitors to the new Mint in Canberra and priced at $1.00. Shortages of Australian-struck cupro-nickel coins meant that 67,250 of the 77,250 carded sets contain 5, 10 and 20 cent coins struck by the Royal Mint in London, with only the final 10,000 sets carrying Canberra-struck coins (see the [[Australian twenty-cent coin|twenty cent]] page for the mint mark differences).

Two wallet issues followed. A dark blue vinyl wallet housed 15,809 sets, and the Reserve Bank of Australia issued a further 12,260 sets across red, blue, green and black wallets carrying the wording "AUSTRALIAN Decimal Currency FIRST ISSUE 1966" with a map of Australia, priced at $1.50. Two small presentation issues complete the picture: 520 sets in a VIP presentation wallet for dignitaries involved in the changeover, and just 70 sets in green wallets labelled "Operation Fastbuck" - the codename for the logistics exercise that moved Australia's first decimal currency to banks across the country, with the wallets presented to the drivers who carried it. The full story of the five varieties is told on the [[Australian Coins of 1966|1966 year page]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Variety'''
! align="center" |'''Packaging'''
! align="center" |'''Mintage'''
|-
| align="center" |Carded set
| align="center" |Blue and white cardboard holder, $1.00
| align="center" |77,250
|-
| align="center" |Dark blue wallet
| align="center" |Dark blue vinyl wallet
| align="center" |15,809
|-
| align="center" |Reserve Bank wallets
| align="center" |Red, blue, green and black vinyl wallets, $1.50
| align="center" |12,260
|-
| align="center" |VIP presentation wallet
| align="center" |Presentation wallet
| align="center" |520
|-
| align="center" |Operation Fastbuck wallet
| align="center" |Green vinyl wallet
| align="center" |70
|-
| align="center" |'''Total'''
| align="center" |
| align="center" |'''105,909'''
|}

===== Year Set Issues =====
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|[[Australian Coins of 1966|1966]]
|[[Australian 1969 Uncirculated Mint Set|1969]]
|[[Australian 1970 Uncirculated Mint Set|1970]]
|1971
|1972
|1973
|1974
|1975
|1976
|[[Australian 1977 Uncirculated Mint Set|1977]]
|1978
|1979
|-
!Theme
|First decimal coins
|Standard designs
|Captain Cook Bicentenary
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Silver Jubilee
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|-
!Mintage
|105,909
|31,176
|40,230
|28,572
|39,065
|30,928
|25,475
|30,121
|40,004
|128,010
|70,006
|70,006
|-
!Issue price
|$1.50
|$1.50
|$2.00
|$1.50
|$1.50
|$1.70
|$1.70
|$1.70
|$1.80
|$1.80
|$2.00
|$2.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1980
|1981
|[[Australian 1982 Uncirculated Mint Set|1982]]
|1983
|1984
|1985
|1986
|1987
|[[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988]]
|1989
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Commonwealth Games
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|International Year of Peace
|Standard designs
|First Fleet Bicentenary
|Standard designs
|-
!Mintage
|100,000
|120,000
|195,950
|155,700
|150,014
|170,000
|180,000
|200,000
|250,000
|150,602
|-
!Issue price
|$2.20
|$3.00
|$3.00
|$3.00
|$3.20
|$4.20
|$4.50
|$9.70
|$12.00
|$13.50
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|7
|7
|7
|8
|8
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1990
|1991
|[[Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set|1992]]
|1993
|1994
|1995
|1996
|1997
|1998
|1999
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|25th Anniv. of decimal currency
|Barcelona Olympics
|Landcare
|Year of the Family
|50th Anniv. end of WWII
|Sir Henry Parkes
|Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
|Bass and Flinders
|Int. Year of Older Persons
|-
!Mintage
|103,766
|147,900
|118,528
|84,784
|91,942
|96,079
|108,773
|71,022
|74,108
|70,067
|-
!Issue price
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$18.75
|$18.75
|$18.75
|$19.95
|-
!Coins in set
|8
|8
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2000
|2001
|2002
|2003
|2004
|2005
|[[Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set|2006]]
|2007
|2008
|2009
|-
!Theme
|Millennium
|Centenary of Federation
|Year of the Outback
|Australia's Volunteers
|Coins Come Alive
|60th Anniv. end of WWII
|40 Years of Decimal Currency
|Year of the Surf Lifesaver
|Year of Planet Earth
|Year of Astronomy
|-
!Mintage
|106,394
|90,822
|68,752
|80,512
|57,565
|71,546
|87,407
|67,643
|95,138
|55,452
|-
!Issue price
|$19.95
|$21.62
|$22.70
|$22.70
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$26.00
|$35.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|8
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|[[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016]]
|2017
|2018
|2019
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs, coloured 50c
|Standard designs, coloured 20c
|Standard designs, coloured $1
|50th Anniv. of the Mint
|The Changeover
|Effigy of an Era
|Armistice Centenary
|Moon Landing 50th
|-
!Mintage
|50,989
|41,883
|58,554
|45,792
|43,777
|49,682
|62,718
|Unlimited
| -
| -
|-
!Issue price
|$30.00
|$30.00
|$32.50
|$32.50
|$32.50
|$25.00
|$25.00
|$25.00
|$65.00
|$25.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2023
|[[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024]]
|2025
|2026
|-
!Theme
|Sixth effigy of Elizabeth II
|50th Anniv. Aboriginal Flag
|Frontline Workers
|Vegemite Centenary
|Change of Monarch
|Australian Honours System 50th
|60 Years of Decimal Currency
|-
!Mintage
| -
| -
| -
|117,397
|100,000
| -
| -
|-
!Issue price
| -
| -
| -
| -
|$40.00
|$40.00
|$40.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|No sets were issued for 1967 or 1968. The 1977 set marked the Queen's Silver Jubilee with a commemorative 50 cent design.
|-
|The 1966 mintage of 105,909 is the combined total of the five packaging varieties described under The 1966 Sets.
|-
|The one dollar coin joined the set in 1985 and the two dollar coin in 1988. The 1988 Bicentenary set remains the highest-mintage year set issued.
|-
|The 1991 set was the last to include the 1 cent and 2 cent coins. From 1992 the set contained the six denominations that remain current today.
|-
|The 2004 "Coins Come Alive" set is remembered for its obverse die varieties - the "flat A" and "pointed A" portraits - rather than for any special reverse. The 2006 anniversary set was a one-off return to eight coins, including the 1 cent and 2 cent pieces.
|-
|The 2015 set marked the Royal Australian Mint's own 50th anniversary with a commemorative 50 cent coin. The 2016 "Changeover" set carried special 50th anniversary obverses on every coin, and the 2017 set paid tribute to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait.
|-
|The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on all six coins. The 2024 Change of Monarch set placed a different portrait on each denomination.
|-
|"Unlimited" indicates the set was struck to demand rather than to a fixed mintage. A dash indicates figures the Mint has not confirmed. Mintage figures for the earlier years are drawn from Royal Australian Mint annual reports as compiled by collectors. Issue prices are the Mint's recommended retail price at the time of release.
|}

===== Set Gallery =====
The gallery below shows every uncirculated year set from 1966 to 2026, with the packaging of each set alongside the coins in their folder. It traces the evolution of the product from the gift wallet of 1966 through the sealed folders of later decades to today's presentation packs. The table is collapsed by default - click "expand" to browse every year from 1966 to 2026. Rows whose photographs have not yet been uploaded appear as red links in the meantime.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Year set gallery, 1966 - 2026
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian Coins of 1966|1966]] carded set - coins sealed in plastic within a blue and white cardboard holder, sold at the Mint shop for $1.00. Mintage 77,250.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian Coins of 1966|1966]] dark blue wallet set. Mintage 15,809.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian Coins of 1966|1966]] Reserve Bank wallet set - one of four colours, inscribed "First Issue 1966" with a map of Australia. Combined mintage 12,260.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 VIP packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 VIP coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian Coins of 1966|1966]] VIP presentation wallet - one of just 520 sets, presented to dignitaries involved in the changeover.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 Fastbuck packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 Fastbuck coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian Coins of 1966|1966]] Operation Fastbuck wallet - one of 70 green wallets presented to the drivers who delivered the first decimal currency.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1969 Uncirculated Mint Set|1969]] - the first of the continuous annual series; issued in red and blue wallets. Mintage 31,176.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1970 Uncirculated Mint Set|1970]] - Captain Cook Bicentenary, the first commemorative in a year set. Mintage 40,230.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1971 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1971 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1971 - standard designs. Mintage 28,572.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1972 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1972 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1972 - standard designs. Mintage 39,065.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1973 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1973 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1973 - standard designs. Mintage 30,928.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1974 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1974 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1974 - standard designs; the rarest year set. Mintage 25,475.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1975 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1975 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1975 - standard designs. Mintage 30,121.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1976 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1976 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1976 - standard designs. Mintage 40,004.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1977 Uncirculated Mint Set|1977]] - Silver Jubilee, with a commemorative 50 cent. Mintage 128,010.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1978 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1978 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1978 - standard designs. Mintage 70,006.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1979 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1979 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1979 - standard designs. Mintage 70,006.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1980 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1980 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1980 - standard designs. Mintage 100,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1981 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1981 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1981 - standard designs. Mintage 120,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1982 Uncirculated Mint Set|1982]] - Brisbane Commonwealth Games. Mintage 195,950.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1983 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1983 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1983 - standard designs. Mintage 155,700.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1984 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1984 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1984 - standard designs. Mintage 150,014.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1985 - the one dollar coin joined the set, making seven coins. Mintage 170,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1986 - International Year of Peace. Mintage 180,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1987 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1987 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1987 - standard designs. Mintage 200,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988]] - First Fleet Bicentenary; the first eight-coin set and still the highest-mintage year set, with commemorative designs on the one dollar and fifty cent. Mintage 250,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1989 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1989 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1989 - standard designs. Mintage 150,602.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1990 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1990 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1990 - standard designs. Mintage 103,766.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1991 - 25th anniversary of decimal currency. Mintage 147,900.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set|1992]] - Barcelona Olympics, with a commemorative one dollar; the first of the modern six-coin sets. Mintage 118,528.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1993 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1993 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1993 - Landcare, with a commemorative one dollar coin. Mintage 84,784.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1994 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1994 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1994 - Year of the Family. Mintage 91,942.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1995 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1995 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1995 - 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mintage 96,079.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1996 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1996 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1996 - Sir Henry Parkes. Mintage 108,773.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1997 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1997 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1997 - Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Mintage 71,022.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1998 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1998 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1998 - Bass and Flinders. Mintage 74,108.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1999 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1999 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1999 - International Year of Older Persons. Mintage 70,067.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2000 - Millennium. Mintage 106,394.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2001 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2001 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2001 - Centenary of Federation. Mintage 90,822.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2002 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2002 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2002 - Year of the Outback. Mintage 68,752.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2003 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2003 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2003 - Australia's Volunteers. Mintage 80,512.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2004 - "Coins Come Alive", remembered for its obverse die varieties. Mintage 57,565.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2005 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2005 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2005 - 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mintage 71,546.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set|2006]] - 40 years of decimal currency; a one-off return to eight coins, the 1 cent and 2 cent back for the occasion. Mintage 87,407.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2007 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2007 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2007 - Year of the Surf Lifesaver. Mintage 67,643.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2008 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2008 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2008 - Year of Planet Earth. Mintage 95,138.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2009 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2009 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2009 - International Year of Astronomy. Mintage 55,452.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2010 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2010 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2010 - standard designs. Mintage 50,989.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2011 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2011 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2011 - standard designs. Mintage 41,883.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2012 - standard designs with a coloured 50 cent. Mintage 58,554.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2013 - standard designs with a coloured 20 cent. Mintage 45,792.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2014 - standard designs with a coloured one dollar. Mintage 43,777.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2015 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2015 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2015 - 50th anniversary of the Royal Australian Mint. Mintage 49,682.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016]] - "The Changeover"; 50th anniversary obverses on every coin. Mintage 62,718.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2017 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2017 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2017 - "Effigy of an Era", tribute to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait. Struck to demand.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2018 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2018 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2018 - Armistice Centenary. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2019 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2019 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2019 - Moon Landing 50th anniversary. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2020 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2020 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2020 - introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Elizabeth II on all six coins. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2021 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2021 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2021 - 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal flag. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2022 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2022 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2022 - Frontline Workers. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2023 - Vegemite Centenary. Mintage 117,397.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024]] - Change of Monarch; a different portrait on each denomination. Mintage 100,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2025 - 50th anniversary of the Australian Honours System. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2026 - 60 years of decimal currency. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|}

===== Special Editions =====
Beyond the standard year sets, the Mint has issued a number of special uncirculated editions. Limited edition sets released at the World Money Fair in Berlin between 2011 and 2020 came in custom-designed sleeves and typically had small mintages; these now command substantial premiums on the secondary market. The 2019 "Effigies Over Time" set carried a different portrait of the Queen from 1953 to 2019 on each of its six coins, and themed editions such as the 2023 "Creatures of the Deep" set have appeared alongside the annual issues.

Baby sets, in which all six coins carry playful baby-animal designs, have proved popular gift items. The 2023 Baby set brought together the baby coins created for the 2021 and 2022 editions. Two-coin year sets focusing on a single theme, such as the Australian Wool (2011), Wheat (2012) and Mining (2013) editions, offer a more affordable entry point into the uncirculated series.

===== Grading and Condition =====
Because they are handled carefully and sealed at the Mint, coins from intact year sets generally preserve their original lustre and represent the easiest way to acquire high-grade examples of each year's coinage. Collectors grading uncirculated coins look first for full, undisturbed mint lustre, then count and weigh the bag marks scattered across the fields and portrait, and finally assess the sharpness of the strike on high points such as the echidna's spines or the emu's feathers. Sealed sets should be stored cool, dry and upright, as plastic folders can mark coins over time - a phenomenon collectors describe as PVC damage - and toning, while sometimes attractive, is best kept even and unbroken. Coins removed from sets and submitted to grading services are typically awarded grades in the MS61 to MS65 range, with MS66 and above reserved for exceptional examples.

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Proof Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Not Intended for Circulation (NIFC) Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Bullion Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian Coins of 1966

2026-08-29T09:03:52Z

Admin:

__FORCETOC__

===== The Changeover =====
On 14 February 1966 - "C-Day" - Australia replaced pounds, shillings and pence with dollars and cents, and six new coins entered circulation at once: the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]], [[Australian two-cent coin|2 cent]], [[Australian five-cent coin|5 cent]], [[Australian ten-cent coin|10 cent]], [[Australian twenty-cent coin|20 cent]] and the round [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|50 cent]]. The Decimal Currency Act 1965 had established the Decimal Currency Board to manage the transition, and the reverse designs - the feathertail glider, frill-necked lizard, echidna, lyrebird, platypus and Commonwealth Coat of Arms - were the work of [[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]], each coin carrying the Arnold Machin effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on its obverse.

The scale of the task was unprecedented. Replacing an entire nation's coinage demanded close to a billion coins before the first day of decimal trade, more than the new Royal Australian Mint in Canberra could strike alone, so production was shared between four mints on opposite sides of the world: the Royal Mint in London, the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, and the Royal Mint's Melbourne and Perth branches. The bronze 1 cent and 2 cent coins came from Melbourne, Perth and Canberra, the cupro-nickel 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent from London and Canberra, and every silver 50 cent from Canberra alone. Striking of the 1966-dated coins began as early as 1964 - Melbourne had cents on its presses before the Royal Australian Mint opened in February 1965 - and ran through 1966, producing just over a billion coins carrying the single date. In 1967 and 1968 the five smaller denominations went on being struck for commerce with dates of their own, while the silver 50 cent was not struck at all, so the round 50 cent exists with one date only: 1966.

===== The Circulated Coins =====
The table shows the mintage of the 1966-dated coins, by mint. Mintages are in millions; striking of the 1966 date ran from 1964 to 1966, so the figures cover the whole changeover supply.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Denomination'''
! align="center" |'''Reverse design'''
! align="center" |'''Mintage (mil)'''
! align="center" |'''Mints'''
|-
| align="center" |1c
| align="center" |Feathertail glider
| align="center" |412.1
| align="center" |Canberra 146.5, Melbourne 239.0, Perth 26.6
|-
| align="center" |2c
| align="center" |Frill-necked lizard
| align="center" |429.5
| align="center" |Canberra 145.2, Melbourne 66.6, Perth 217.7
|-
| align="center" |5c
| align="center" |Echidna
| align="center" |75.4
| align="center" |London 30.0, Canberra 45.4
|-
| align="center" |10c
| align="center" |Lyrebird
| align="center" |41.0
| align="center" |London 30.0, Canberra 11.0
|-
| align="center" |20c
| align="center" |Platypus
| align="center" |58.2
| align="center" |London 30.0, Canberra 28.2
|-
| align="center" |50c
| align="center" |Commonwealth Coat of Arms
| align="center" |36.5
| align="center" |Canberra only
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|These are the complete mintages of the 1966-dated coins, struck between 1964 and 1966; the coins of 1967 and 1968 carry their own dates, as described in The Quiet Years below. All 1966 coins remain legal tender; the round 50 cent, which contains silver, is worth well above face value.
|}

===== Telling the Mints Apart =====
No mint marks appear on any 1966 decimal coin. The Mint had not expected production to be shared, and as the Mint Controller explained in letters published in The Australian Coin Review - April 1967 for the bronze coins and August 1971 for the cupro-nickel - it was never considered necessary to mark the coins by mint, since all Australian coins were to be struck in Canberra once the changeover demand had passed.

The mints can still be told apart by die markers, however, and these give 1966 a collecting depth no later year matches. On the 1 cent, the whiskers of the feathertail glider hold the clue: Melbourne coins show the first whisker blunted, Perth coins the second, and Canberra coins neither. The 2 cent carries equivalent markers on the frill-necked lizard. For the 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent the London and Canberra strikes are separated only by subtle die differences, and the [[Australian twenty-cent coin|twenty cent]] page advises caution before attributing an individual coin - though the famous wavy baseline variety, the rarest circulating decimal variety, is known only from the London run of the 20 cent. The silver 50 cent, struck in Canberra alone, needs no attribution at all.

===== The Round Fifty Cent =====
The 1966 fifty cent is the odd denomination out: round, 80% silver and struck for one year only. When the silver price rose in the late 1960s the coin's bullion value passed its face value, and it vanished into hoards and melting pots - yet it was never demonetised, and its 36.5 million mintage means circulated examples remain easy to find. Its story, specifications and collecting guidance are covered in full on the [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|round fifty cent]] page, and its replacement by the dodecagonal coin of 1969 on the [[Australian fifty-cent coin|fifty cent]] page.

===== The Quiet Years, 1967 and 1968 =====
Once the changeover stockpile was counted and banked, production fell back to ordinary levels, and 1967 and 1968 are the quiet years of the decimal series. The five smaller denominations went on being struck for daily commerce and carry those dates normally - the bronze 1 cent and 2 cent from Melbourne and Perth respectively, the cupro-nickel 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent from Canberra - but the silver 50 cent vanished from the tables: the Mint's mintage record states plainly that no fifty cent coins were produced in 1967 or 1968, and its account of the coin notes that striking was suspended in March 1968 as the silver price rose above the coin's face value. Specimen pieces testing the dodecagonal replacement design were struck as early as 1966-67, but the fifty cent did not return to pockets until 1969. The 1968-dated 1 cent, struck at Melbourne, was the Royal Mint branch's final Australian coinage.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Denomination'''
! align="center" |'''1967'''
! align="center" |'''1968'''
|-
| align="center" |1c
| align="center" |110.0 (Melbourne)
| align="center" |19.9 (Melbourne)
|-
| align="center" |2c
| align="center" |73.3 (Perth)
| align="center" |17.0 (Perth)
|-
| align="center" |5c
| align="center" |62.1 (Canberra)
| align="center" |67.3 (Canberra)
|-
| align="center" |10c
| align="center" |51.0 (Canberra)
| align="center" |57.2 (Canberra)
|-
| align="center" |20c
| align="center" |83.8 (Canberra)
| align="center" |40.5 (Canberra)
|-
| align="center" |50c
| align="center" |Not struck
| align="center" |Not struck
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|Mintages in millions. No uncirculated or proof sets were sold for either year, so choice examples of the 1967 and 1968 coins survive only from original rolls and bank bags.
|}

The missing collector products are what give the quiet years their bite. No sets of any kind were packaged for 1967 or 1968 - the 1966 products were still selling through - and the annual series did not resume until 1969, so an officially packaged uncirculated example of any 1967 or 1968 coin simply does not exist. Top-grade survivors come only from rolls and lucky bank bags, and the consequences are felt to this day: the 1968 1 cent, at 19.9 million the lowest mintage figure in its series, and the 1968 2 cent, at 17.0 million the second lowest in its own, are the recognised bronze key dates, while the 1968 coins of the other denominations, never sold in sets, are likewise scarce in the very best grades. Dealer-assembled "1968 sets" in retrospective packaging appear on the market from time to time and change hands at strong prices precisely because the official product never existed.

The quiet years also produced the decimal series' most celebrated bronze variety. Stuart Devlin's initials SD appear beneath the lizard's belly on the 2 cent, but on an unknown number of 1967- and 1968-dated Perth coins they are missing altogether - a die oversight flagged in The Australian Coin Review within a few years of decimalisation, and one that recurs on some 1981 coins. Collectors hunt the variety on the 1968 date, where the tiny mintage makes every survivor count: gem examples have been offered around the $500 mark, a PCGS MS64RD specimen last sold for $900, and the finest known pieces have fetched several thousand dollars.

===== The Uncirculated Sets =====
The Mint marked the first decimal year with its first uncirculated set, and 1966 is unique in appearing in five different packagings, with mintages that together account for the official total of 105,909 sets. The '''carded set''' - six coins sealed in plastic within a blue and white cardboard holder, sold at the Mint shop for $1.00 - is the version most often seen, and 67,250 of the 77,250 carded sets contain London-struck 5, 10 and 20 cent coins, with only the final 10,000 carrying Canberra-struck examples. A '''dark blue vinyl wallet''' housed 15,809 sets, and the Reserve Bank issued a further 12,260 across four colours at $1.50. Rarest are the presentation issues: 520 '''VIP wallets''' for dignitaries involved in the changeover, and just 70 green '''Operation Fastbuck wallets''' - the codename for the operation that delivered the new currency to banks across the country, with the wallets presented to the drivers who carried it out.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Variety'''
! align="center" |'''Packaging'''
! align="center" |'''Mintage'''
|-
| align="center" |Carded set
| align="center" |Blue and white cardboard holder, $1.00
| align="center" |77,250
|-
| align="center" |Dark blue wallet
| align="center" |Dark blue vinyl wallet
| align="center" |15,809
|-
| align="center" |Reserve Bank wallets
| align="center" |Red, blue, green and black vinyl wallets, $1.50
| align="center" |12,260
|-
| align="center" |VIP presentation wallet
| align="center" |Presentation wallet
| align="center" |520
|-
| align="center" |Operation Fastbuck wallet
| align="center" |Green vinyl wallet
| align="center" |70
|-
| align="center" |'''Total'''
| align="center" |
| align="center" |'''105,909'''
|}

===== The Proof Set =====
The 1966 proof set was a product of patience. The Mint's first priority was circulating coin, and it was July 1967 before proof equipment was tested and the first decimal proof coins could be struck - still dated 1966 even as the circulating coinage moved on to 1967 and 1968 dates, the Mint Controller confirming that the sets would carry the changeover year regardless of when they were made. Each blank was individually edge-marked, buffed on linen wheels and ultrasonically cleaned before being double-struck, and the finished coins were sprayed to guard against tarnishing.

The sets went on sale in October 1967 at $12.50 each, an initial limit of five sets per order, and production continued into early 1969 for a final total of 18,054 sets. The six proof coins are housed in velvet and satin-lined blue cases of two types, light blue and dark blue, and the unsealed cases left the coins easy to mishandle: fingerprints, spots and toning from the blue felt affect most surviving sets, so pristine examples carry a strong premium. No further proof sets were issued until 1969, when the series resumed with the new dodecagonal fifty cent in sonically sealed packaging.

===== Gallery =====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian 1966 circulated coins.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian 50cr Coin.jpg|200px]]
|The six coins of the changeover, and the silver round 50 cent that lasted a single year.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:196620cnormal.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:196620cwavy.jpg|200px]]
|The 20 cent of 1966 - normal, and with the wavy baseline of the rare London variety.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian 1968 2c with SD.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian 1968 2c no SD.jpg|200px]]
|The key 1968 two cent, with the designer's initials SD beneath the lizard - and without them, the famous no-SD variety.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card coins.jpg|200px]]
|The carded uncirculated set, mintage 77,250.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA packaging.jpg|200px]]
|The dark blue wallet issue (15,809) and a Reserve Bank wallet (12,260 across four colours).
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 VIP packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 Fastbuck packaging.jpg|200px]]
|The VIP presentation wallet (520) and the Operation Fastbuck wallet (70).
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian 1966 proof set case.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian 1966 proof coins.jpg|200px]]
|The proof set in its blue case, and the six double-struck proof coins. 18,054 sets, sold from October 1967.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian fifty-cent round coin]]
* [[Australian twenty-cent coin]]

Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)

2026-08-29T08:59:29Z

Admin:

==== History of Australian Decimal Coin Currency ====
The transition to decimal currency in Australia marked a significant milestone in the nation’s economic and cultural history. Before 1966, Australia used a currency system inherited from the British, which included pounds, shillings, and pence. The British system was complex and cumbersome, especially for arithmetic calculations. This complexity prompted the consideration of a decimal system, which would simplify financial transactions and aligned Australia more closely with international standards. This page details the history of Australian decimal coin currency from its inception to the present day.
====== Transition to Decimal Currency ======
<blockquote>
* The decision to adopt decimal currency was made in the early 1960s. The Decimal Currency Act 1965 was passed, and the Decimal Currency Board was established to oversee the transition. The new system was based on the Australian dollar ($), divided into 100 cents (¢).

* Introduction Date: February 14, 1966

* Known as "C-Day", this date marked the official changeover to decimal currency. The slogan "Decimal Currency – The Dollar and the Cent" was used to promote the new system.</blockquote>

====== Coin Designs ======
<blockquote>The designs for the new decimal coins were created by [[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]], a renowned Australian artist and metalworker. His designs featured iconic Australian fauna, making the coins instantly recognizable and uniquely Australian.</blockquote>

====== Initial Decimal Coins (1966) ======
<blockquote>Coins Introduced

The initial set of decimal coins included:<blockquote>
* 1 cent: Feathertail glider
* 2 cents: Frill-necked lizard
* 5 cents: Echidna
* 10 cents: Lyrebird
* 20 cents: Platypus
* 50 cents: Coat of Arms
</blockquote></blockquote>

The coins, their mints, varieties and collector sets of the first decimal year are covered in detail on [[Australian Coins of 1966]].

====== Special Considerations ======
<blockquote>The 50-cent coin initially introduced was round and made of 80% silver. Due to its high silver content, it was withdrawn and replaced in 1969 by a dodecagonal (12-sided) coin made from a copper-nickel alloy.</blockquote>

===== Evolution and Changes =====
<blockquote>
====== Introduction of New Denominations ======

* 1984: The 1-dollar ($1) coin was introduced, replacing the banknote of the same denomination. It features a design of five kangaroos.

* 1988: The 2-dollar ($2) coin was introduced, replacing the banknote of the same denomination. It features an image of an Aboriginal elder.

====== Withdrawal of 1 and 2 Cent Coins ======

* 1992: The 1 and 2 cent coins were withdrawn from circulation due to their low value and high cost of production. Prices were rounded to the nearest 5 cents.</blockquote>

===== Coins by Year =====
The year pages gather everything struck for a given year in one place - the circulating coins and their mintages, the varieties, the uncirculated year set and the proof set. This is the recommended path for collecting date runs and for studying a single year in depth; the finish-based pages above remain the reference for each category.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Coins by year, 1966 - 2026
! align="center" |'''Year'''
! align="center" |'''Notes'''
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1966|1966]]
| align="center" |The changeover year - coins struck at four mints, the wavy baseline 20 cent, five uncirculated set packagings and the first decimal proof set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1967|1967]]
| align="center" |The first quiet year - five denominations struck, but no 50 cent and no year sets
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1968|1968]]
| align="center" |Bronze key dates: the 1968 1 cent and 2 cent, and the no-SD two cent variety
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1969|1969]]
| align="center" |The dodecagonal 50 cent debuts; year sets resume - see the [[Australian 1969 Uncirculated Mint Set|1969 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1970|1970]]
| align="center" |Captain Cook Bicentenary 50 cent, the first circulating decimal commemorative - see the [[Australian 1970 Uncirculated Mint Set|1970 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1971|1971]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1972|1972]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1973|1973]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1974|1974]]
| align="center" |Standard designs; the rarest year set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1975|1975]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1976|1976]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1977|1977]]
| align="center" |Silver Jubilee commemorative 50 cent - see the [[Australian 1977 Uncirculated Mint Set|1977 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1978|1978]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1979|1979]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1980|1980]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1981|1981]]
| align="center" |Standard designs; circulating 20 cent coins also struck in Canada and Wales
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1982|1982]]
| align="center" |Brisbane Commonwealth Games 50 cent - see the [[Australian 1982 Uncirculated Mint Set|1982 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1983|1983]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1984|1984]]
| align="center" |The one dollar coin enters circulation
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1985|1985]]
| align="center" |The one dollar joins the year set; the 5 cent is a set-only date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1986|1986]]
| align="center" |Six of the year set's seven coins were never issued for circulation
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1987|1987]]
| align="center" |Five set-only dates in the year set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1988|1988]]
| align="center" |Bicentenary; the two dollar coin debuts and the record 250,000-set year - see the [[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1989|1989]]
| align="center" |Standard designs; three set-only dates in the year set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1990|1990]]
| align="center" |Standard designs; the last circulating 1 cent date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1991|1991]]
| align="center" |The farewell 1 and 2 cent year set, for the 25th anniversary of decimal currency
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1992|1992]]
| align="center" |Barcelona Olympics one dollar and the first six-coin set; the 1 and 2 cent coins are withdrawn - see the [[Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set|1992 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1993|1993]]
| align="center" |Landcare one dollar; the 20 cent is a set-only date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1994|1994]]
| align="center" |Year of the Family one dollar
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1995|1995]]
| align="center" |End of World War II 50th anniversary; the 10 cent is a set-only date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1996|1996]]
| align="center" |Sir Henry Parkes one dollar; the 10 cent is again a set-only date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1997|1997]]
| align="center" |Sir Charles Kingsford Smith one dollar
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1998|1998]]
| align="center" |Bass and Flinders one dollar
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1999|1999]]
| align="center" |International Year of Older Persons one dollar
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2000|2000]]
| align="center" |Millennium 50 cent, whose colour trials created the rare incused flag variety
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2001|2001]]
| align="center" |Centenary of Federation; the world's first double-hologram coin
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2002|2002]]
| align="center" |Year of the Outback
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2003|2003]]
| align="center" |Australia's Volunteers
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2004|2004]]
| align="center" |"Coins Come Alive", remembered for its obverse die varieties
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2005|2005]]
| align="center" |60th anniversary of the end of World War II
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2006|2006]]
| align="center" |40 years of decimal currency; the 1 and 2 cent return for one year - see the [[Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set|2006 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2007|2007]]
| align="center" |Year of the Surf Lifesaver
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2008|2008]]
| align="center" |Year of Planet Earth
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2009|2009]]
| align="center" |Year of Astronomy
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2010|2010]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2011|2011]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2012|2012]]
| align="center" |Hyper-metallic 50 cent in the Special Edition set; the set-only one dollar; Australia's first coloured circulating coin
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2013|2013]]
| align="center" |Coloured Centenary of Canberra 20 cent in the year set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2014|2014]]
| align="center" |Coloured one dollar in the year set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2015|2015]]
| align="center" |The Mint's own 50th anniversary
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2016|2016]]
| align="center" |The Changeover - 50th anniversary obverses on every coin in the set - see the [[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2017|2017]]
| align="center" |Effigy of an Era
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2018|2018]]
| align="center" |Armistice Centenary
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2019|2019]]
| align="center" |Moon Landing 50th anniversary
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2020|2020]]
| align="center" |The Jody Clark effigy debuts on all six coins
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2021|2021]]
| align="center" |Aboriginal Flag 50th anniversary
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2022|2022]]
| align="center" |Frontline Workers
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2023|2023]]
| align="center" |Vegemite Centenary; only the one dollar circulated - the set is the only source of the other five dates
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2024|2024]]
| align="center" |Change of Monarch - a different effigy on every coin in the set - see the [[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2025|2025]]
| align="center" |Australian Honours System 50th anniversary
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2026|2026]]
| align="center" |60 years of decimal currency, with custom 10 cent and 50 cent reverses in the year set
|}

The year pages are being added progressively; a red year above is a page still to be written. Years with an existing set page are noted until their full year page is prepared.

===== Commemorative and Special Edition Coins =====
<blockquote>Australia has issued numerous commemorative coins to celebrate significant events, anniversaries, and cultural milestones. These coins often feature special designs and are popular among collectors.</blockquote>

===== Coin Variety Types =====
<blockquote>
In Australia, the Royal Australian Mint and the Perth Mint produce a variety of coin types to cater to different purposes and audiences. Here are the main types of coins produced:</blockquote><blockquote>
====== [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins|Circulated Coins]] ======

* Purpose: Everyday transactions.
* Finish: Durable, less polished.

====== [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins|Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]] ======

* Purpose: Collecting.
* Finish: Mint condition, sharper than circulated coins.

====== [[Australian Decimal Proof Coins|Proof Coins]] ======

* Purpose: Collecting, displaying.
* Finish: Highly polished, detailed.

====== [[Australian Decimal Not Intended for Circulation (NIFC) Coins|Not Intended for Circulation (NIFC) Coins]] ======

* Purpose: Collecting.
* Finish: Varies, often better than circulated coins.

====== [[Australian Decimal Bullion Coins|Bullion Coins]] ======

* Purpose: Investment.
* Finish: High purity, typically matte or semi-matte.
</blockquote>

Australian Coins of 1966

2026-08-29T08:36:05Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Changeover ===== On 14 February 1966 - "C-Day" - Australia replaced pounds, shillings and pence with dollars and cents, and six new coins entered circulation at once: the 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 20 cent and the round 50 cent. The Decimal Currency Act 1965..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Changeover =====
On 14 February 1966 - "C-Day" - Australia replaced pounds, shillings and pence with dollars and cents, and six new coins entered circulation at once: the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]], [[Australian two-cent coin|2 cent]], [[Australian five-cent coin|5 cent]], [[Australian ten-cent coin|10 cent]], [[Australian twenty-cent coin|20 cent]] and the round [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|50 cent]]. The Decimal Currency Act 1965 had established the Decimal Currency Board to manage the transition, and the reverse designs - the feathertail glider, frill-necked lizard, echidna, lyrebird, platypus and Commonwealth Coat of Arms - were the work of [[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]], each coin carrying the Arnold Machin effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on its obverse.

The scale of the task was unprecedented. Replacing an entire nation's coinage demanded close to a billion coins before the first day of decimal trade, more than the new Royal Australian Mint in Canberra could strike alone, so production was shared between four mints on opposite sides of the world: the Royal Mint in London, the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, and the Royal Mint's Melbourne and Perth branches. The bronze 1 cent and 2 cent coins came from Melbourne, Perth and Canberra, the cupro-nickel 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent from London and Canberra, and every silver 50 cent from Canberra alone. Striking had begun as early as 1964, and coins continued to be struck into 1968 - every one of them dated 1966, which is why no Australian decimal coin carries a 1967 or 1968 date.

===== The Circulated Coins =====
The table shows the first year's production by mint. Mintages are in millions and follow the Mint's own convention of recording the financial year of production, so they represent the changeover supply struck for C-Day itself.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Denomination'''
! align="center" |'''Reverse design'''
! align="center" |'''Mintage (mil)'''
! align="center" |'''Mints'''
|-
| align="center" |1c
| align="center" |Feathertail glider
| align="center" |412.1
| align="center" |Canberra 146.5, Melbourne 239.0, Perth 26.6
|-
| align="center" |2c
| align="center" |Frill-necked lizard
| align="center" |429.5
| align="center" |Canberra 145.2, Melbourne 66.6, Perth 217.7
|-
| align="center" |5c
| align="center" |Echidna
| align="center" |75.4
| align="center" |London 30.0, Canberra 45.4
|-
| align="center" |10c
| align="center" |Lyrebird
| align="center" |41.0
| align="center" |London 30.0, Canberra 11.0
|-
| align="center" |20c
| align="center" |Platypus
| align="center" |58.2
| align="center" |London 30.0, Canberra 28.2
|-
| align="center" |50c
| align="center" |Commonwealth Coat of Arms
| align="center" |36.5
| align="center" |Canberra only
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|Striking of 1966-dated coins continued into 1968, so the total mintage of each denomination is larger than the first-year figures shown. All 1966 coins remain legal tender; the round 50 cent, which contains silver, is worth well above face value.
|}

===== Telling the Mints Apart =====
No mint marks appear on any 1966 decimal coin. The Mint had not expected production to be shared, and as the Mint Controller explained in letters published in The Australian Coin Review - April 1967 for the bronze coins and August 1971 for the cupro-nickel - it was never considered necessary to mark the coins by mint, since all Australian coins were to be struck in Canberra once the changeover demand had passed.

The mints can still be told apart by die markers, however, and these give 1966 a collecting depth no later year matches. On the 1 cent, the whiskers of the feathertail glider hold the clue: Melbourne coins show the first whisker blunted, Perth coins the second, and Canberra coins neither. The 2 cent carries equivalent markers on the frill-necked lizard. For the 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent the London and Canberra strikes are separated only by subtle die differences, and the [[Australian twenty-cent coin|twenty cent]] page advises caution before attributing an individual coin - though the famous wavy baseline variety, the rarest circulating decimal variety, is known only from the London run of the 20 cent. The silver 50 cent, struck in Canberra alone, needs no attribution at all.

===== The Round Fifty Cent =====
The 1966 fifty cent is the odd denomination out: round, 80% silver and struck for one year only. When the silver price rose in the late 1960s the coin's bullion value passed its face value, and it vanished into hoards and melting pots - yet it was never demonetised, and its 36.5 million mintage means circulated examples remain easy to find. Its story, specifications and collecting guidance are covered in full on the [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|round fifty cent]] page, and its replacement by the dodecagonal coin of 1969 on the [[Australian fifty-cent coin|fifty cent]] page.

===== The Uncirculated Sets =====
The Mint marked the first decimal year with its first uncirculated set, and 1966 is unique in appearing in five different packagings, with mintages that together account for the official total of 105,909 sets. The '''carded set''' - six coins sealed in plastic within a blue and white cardboard holder, sold at the Mint shop for $1.00 - is the version most often seen, and 67,250 of the 77,250 carded sets contain London-struck 5, 10 and 20 cent coins, with only the final 10,000 carrying Canberra-struck examples. A '''dark blue vinyl wallet''' housed 15,809 sets, and the Reserve Bank issued a further 12,260 across four colours at $1.50. Rarest are the presentation issues: 520 '''VIP wallets''' for dignitaries involved in the changeover, and just 70 green '''Operation Fastbuck wallets''' - the codename for the operation that delivered the new currency to banks across the country, with the wallets presented to the drivers who carried it out.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Variety'''
! align="center" |'''Packaging'''
! align="center" |'''Mintage'''
|-
| align="center" |Carded set
| align="center" |Blue and white cardboard holder, $1.00
| align="center" |77,250
|-
| align="center" |Dark blue wallet
| align="center" |Dark blue vinyl wallet
| align="center" |15,809
|-
| align="center" |Reserve Bank wallets
| align="center" |Red, blue, green and black vinyl wallets, $1.50
| align="center" |12,260
|-
| align="center" |VIP presentation wallet
| align="center" |Presentation wallet
| align="center" |520
|-
| align="center" |Operation Fastbuck wallet
| align="center" |Green vinyl wallet
| align="center" |70
|-
| align="center" |'''Total'''
| align="center" |
| align="center" |'''105,909'''
|}

===== The Proof Set =====
The 1966 proof set was a product of patience. The Mint's first priority was circulating coin, and it was July 1967 before proof equipment was tested and the first decimal proof coins could be struck - still dated 1966, the Mint Controller confirming that the sets would carry the changeover year regardless of when they were made. Each blank was individually edge-marked, buffed on linen wheels and ultrasonically cleaned before being double-struck, and the finished coins were sprayed to guard against tarnishing.

The sets went on sale in October 1967 at $12.50 each, an initial limit of five sets per order, and production continued into early 1969 for a final total of 18,054 sets. The six proof coins are housed in velvet and satin-lined blue cases of two types, light blue and dark blue, and the unsealed cases left the coins easy to mishandle: fingerprints, spots and toning from the blue felt affect most surviving sets, so pristine examples carry a strong premium. No further proof sets were issued until 1969, when the series resumed with the new dodecagonal fifty cent in sonically sealed packaging.

===== Gallery =====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian 1966 circulated coins.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian 50cr Coin.jpg|200px]]
|The six coins of the changeover, and the silver round 50 cent that lasted a single year.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:196620cnormal.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:196620cwavy.jpg|200px]]
|The 20 cent of 1966 - normal, and with the wavy baseline of the rare London variety.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card coins.jpg|200px]]
|The carded uncirculated set, mintage 77,250.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA packaging.jpg|200px]]
|The dark blue wallet issue (15,809) and a Reserve Bank wallet (12,260 across four colours).
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 VIP packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 Fastbuck packaging.jpg|200px]]
|The VIP presentation wallet (520) and the Operation Fastbuck wallet (70).
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian 1966 proof set case.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian 1966 proof coins.jpg|200px]]
|The proof set in its blue case, and the six double-struck proof coins. 18,054 sets, sold from October 1967.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian fifty-cent round coin]]
* [[Australian twenty-cent coin]]

Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)

2026-08-29T08:20:34Z

Admin:

==== History of Australian Decimal Coin Currency ====
The transition to decimal currency in Australia marked a significant milestone in the nation’s economic and cultural history. Before 1966, Australia used a currency system inherited from the British, which included pounds, shillings, and pence. The British system was complex and cumbersome, especially for arithmetic calculations. This complexity prompted the consideration of a decimal system, which would simplify financial transactions and aligned Australia more closely with international standards. This page details the history of Australian decimal coin currency from its inception to the present day.
====== Transition to Decimal Currency ======
<blockquote>
* The decision to adopt decimal currency was made in the early 1960s. The Decimal Currency Act 1965 was passed, and the Decimal Currency Board was established to oversee the transition. The new system was based on the Australian dollar ($), divided into 100 cents (¢).

* Introduction Date: February 14, 1966

* Known as "C-Day", this date marked the official changeover to decimal currency. The slogan "Decimal Currency – The Dollar and the Cent" was used to promote the new system.</blockquote>

====== Coin Designs ======
<blockquote>The designs for the new decimal coins were created by [[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]], a renowned Australian artist and metalworker. His designs featured iconic Australian fauna, making the coins instantly recognizable and uniquely Australian.</blockquote>

====== Initial Decimal Coins (1966) ======
<blockquote>Coins Introduced

The initial set of decimal coins included:<blockquote>
* 1 cent: Feathertail glider
* 2 cents: Frill-necked lizard
* 5 cents: Echidna
* 10 cents: Lyrebird
* 20 cents: Platypus
* 50 cents: Coat of Arms
</blockquote></blockquote>

The coins, their mints, varieties and collector sets of the first decimal year are covered in detail on [[Australian Coins of 1966]].

====== Special Considerations ======
<blockquote>The 50-cent coin initially introduced was round and made of 80% silver. Due to its high silver content, it was withdrawn and replaced in 1969 by a dodecagonal (12-sided) coin made from a copper-nickel alloy.</blockquote>

===== Evolution and Changes =====
<blockquote>
====== Introduction of New Denominations ======

* 1984: The 1-dollar ($1) coin was introduced, replacing the banknote of the same denomination. It features a design of five kangaroos.

* 1988: The 2-dollar ($2) coin was introduced, replacing the banknote of the same denomination. It features an image of an Aboriginal elder.

====== Withdrawal of 1 and 2 Cent Coins ======

* 1992: The 1 and 2 cent coins were withdrawn from circulation due to their low value and high cost of production. Prices were rounded to the nearest 5 cents.</blockquote>

===== Coins by Year =====
The year pages gather everything struck for a given year in one place - the circulating coins and their mintages, the varieties, the uncirculated year set and the proof set. This is the recommended path for collecting date runs and for studying a single year in depth; the finish-based pages above remain the reference for each category.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Coins by year, 1966 - 2026
! align="center" |'''Year'''
! align="center" |'''Notes'''
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1966|1966]]
| align="center" |The changeover year - coins struck at four mints, the wavy baseline 20 cent, five uncirculated set packagings and the first decimal proof set
|-
| align="center" |1967
| align="center" |No coins carry this date - striking continued with the 1966 date
|-
| align="center" |1968
| align="center" |No coins carry this date - striking continued with the 1966 date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1969|1969]]
| align="center" |The dodecagonal 50 cent debuts; year sets resume - see the [[Australian 1969 Uncirculated Mint Set|1969 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1970|1970]]
| align="center" |Captain Cook Bicentenary 50 cent, the first circulating decimal commemorative - see the [[Australian 1970 Uncirculated Mint Set|1970 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1971|1971]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1972|1972]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1973|1973]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1974|1974]]
| align="center" |Standard designs; the rarest year set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1975|1975]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1976|1976]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1977|1977]]
| align="center" |Silver Jubilee commemorative 50 cent - see the [[Australian 1977 Uncirculated Mint Set|1977 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1978|1978]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1979|1979]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1980|1980]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1981|1981]]
| align="center" |Standard designs; circulating 20 cent coins also struck in Canada and Wales
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1982|1982]]
| align="center" |Brisbane Commonwealth Games 50 cent - see the [[Australian 1982 Uncirculated Mint Set|1982 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1983|1983]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1984|1984]]
| align="center" |The one dollar coin enters circulation
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1985|1985]]
| align="center" |The one dollar joins the year set; the 5 cent is a set-only date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1986|1986]]
| align="center" |Six of the year set's seven coins were never issued for circulation
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1987|1987]]
| align="center" |Five set-only dates in the year set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1988|1988]]
| align="center" |Bicentenary; the two dollar coin debuts and the record 250,000-set year - see the [[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1989|1989]]
| align="center" |Standard designs; three set-only dates in the year set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1990|1990]]
| align="center" |Standard designs; the last circulating 1 cent date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1991|1991]]
| align="center" |The farewell 1 and 2 cent year set, for the 25th anniversary of decimal currency
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1992|1992]]
| align="center" |Barcelona Olympics one dollar and the first six-coin set; the 1 and 2 cent coins are withdrawn - see the [[Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set|1992 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1993|1993]]
| align="center" |Landcare one dollar; the 20 cent is a set-only date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1994|1994]]
| align="center" |Year of the Family one dollar
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1995|1995]]
| align="center" |End of World War II 50th anniversary; the 10 cent is a set-only date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1996|1996]]
| align="center" |Sir Henry Parkes one dollar; the 10 cent is again a set-only date
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1997|1997]]
| align="center" |Sir Charles Kingsford Smith one dollar
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1998|1998]]
| align="center" |Bass and Flinders one dollar
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 1999|1999]]
| align="center" |International Year of Older Persons one dollar
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2000|2000]]
| align="center" |Millennium 50 cent, whose colour trials created the rare incused flag variety
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2001|2001]]
| align="center" |Centenary of Federation; the world's first double-hologram coin
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2002|2002]]
| align="center" |Year of the Outback
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2003|2003]]
| align="center" |Australia's Volunteers
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2004|2004]]
| align="center" |"Coins Come Alive", remembered for its obverse die varieties
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2005|2005]]
| align="center" |60th anniversary of the end of World War II
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2006|2006]]
| align="center" |40 years of decimal currency; the 1 and 2 cent return for one year - see the [[Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set|2006 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2007|2007]]
| align="center" |Year of the Surf Lifesaver
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2008|2008]]
| align="center" |Year of Planet Earth
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2009|2009]]
| align="center" |Year of Astronomy
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2010|2010]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2011|2011]]
| align="center" |Standard designs
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2012|2012]]
| align="center" |Hyper-metallic 50 cent in the Special Edition set; the set-only one dollar; Australia's first coloured circulating coin
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2013|2013]]
| align="center" |Coloured Centenary of Canberra 20 cent in the year set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2014|2014]]
| align="center" |Coloured one dollar in the year set
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2015|2015]]
| align="center" |The Mint's own 50th anniversary
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2016|2016]]
| align="center" |The Changeover - 50th anniversary obverses on every coin in the set - see the [[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2017|2017]]
| align="center" |Effigy of an Era
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2018|2018]]
| align="center" |Armistice Centenary
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2019|2019]]
| align="center" |Moon Landing 50th anniversary
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2020|2020]]
| align="center" |The Jody Clark effigy debuts on all six coins
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2021|2021]]
| align="center" |Aboriginal Flag 50th anniversary
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2022|2022]]
| align="center" |Frontline Workers
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2023|2023]]
| align="center" |Vegemite Centenary; only the one dollar circulated - the set is the only source of the other five dates
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2024|2024]]
| align="center" |Change of Monarch - a different effigy on every coin in the set - see the [[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024 set page]]
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2025|2025]]
| align="center" |Australian Honours System 50th anniversary
|-
| align="center" |[[Australian Coins of 2026|2026]]
| align="center" |60 years of decimal currency, with custom 10 cent and 50 cent reverses in the year set
|}

The year pages are being added progressively; a red year above is a page still to be written. Years with an existing set page are noted until their full year page is prepared.

===== Commemorative and Special Edition Coins =====
<blockquote>Australia has issued numerous commemorative coins to celebrate significant events, anniversaries, and cultural milestones. These coins often feature special designs and are popular among collectors.</blockquote>

===== Coin Variety Types =====
<blockquote>
In Australia, the Royal Australian Mint and the Perth Mint produce a variety of coin types to cater to different purposes and audiences. Here are the main types of coins produced:</blockquote><blockquote>
====== [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins|Circulated Coins]] ======

* Purpose: Everyday transactions.
* Finish: Durable, less polished.

====== [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins|Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]] ======

* Purpose: Collecting.
* Finish: Mint condition, sharper than circulated coins.

====== [[Australian Decimal Proof Coins|Proof Coins]] ======

* Purpose: Collecting, displaying.
* Finish: Highly polished, detailed.

====== [[Australian Decimal Not Intended for Circulation (NIFC) Coins|Not Intended for Circulation (NIFC) Coins]] ======

* Purpose: Collecting.
* Finish: Varies, often better than circulated coins.

====== [[Australian Decimal Bullion Coins|Bullion Coins]] ======

* Purpose: Investment.
* Finish: High purity, typically matte or semi-matte.
</blockquote>

Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins

2026-08-29T07:01:50Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== Set-Exclusive Coins ===== Most of the coins in an uncirculated year set are, in design at least, the same coins the Mint was striking for circulation that year - simply selected, struck and packaged to a higher standard. Across the six decades of the series, however, the sets have also carried coins that were '''never issued for circulation at all'''. The Mint strikes circulating coins only when the banking system requires them, and in years when exis..."

Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T06:56:59Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Set ===== The 2024 mint set commemorated the change of monarch that followed the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, and it did so with a concept unique in Australian coinage: each of the six denominations carries a different portrait. Five coins bear effigies of Queen Elizabeth II spanning her seventy-year reign, from Mary Gillick's 1953 portrait onward, while the two dollar carries the new Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III. The se..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 2024 mint set commemorated the change of monarch that followed the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, and it did so with a concept unique in Australian coinage: each of the six denominations carries a different portrait. Five coins bear effigies of Queen Elizabeth II spanning her seventy-year reign, from Mary Gillick's 1953 portrait onward, while the two dollar carries the new Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III. The set was released on 8 February 2024, capped at 100,000 sets, and priced at $40.00.

===== The Six Portraits =====
The denominations are paired with the portraits in chronological order, so that reading the set from the 5 cent to the 2 dollars is a walk through seven decades of royal portraiture:

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Denomination'''
! align="center" |'''Portrait'''
! align="center" |'''Portrait years'''
|-
| align="center" |5 cent
| align="center" |Mary Gillick
| align="center" |1953 effigy; first appearance on an Australian decimal coin
|-
| align="center" |10 cent
| align="center" |Arnold Machin
| align="center" |1966-1984
|-
| align="center" |20 cent
| align="center" |Raphael Maklouf
| align="center" |1985-1998
|-
| align="center" |50 cent
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| align="center" |1999-2019
|-
| align="center" |1 dollar
| align="center" |Jody Clark (memorial version)
| align="center" |2019-2023
|-
| align="center" |2 dollars
| align="center" |Dan Thorne
| align="center" |2024-present (Charles III)
|}

Every coin is dated 2024, so the set gives the 5 cent the distinction of carrying the Gillick portrait on a decimal coin for the first time, and pairs the one dollar with the memorial version of the Clark portrait introduced after the Queen's death. The reverses remain the standard designs for each denomination, keeping the focus of the set firmly on the succession itself.

For collectors of royal portraiture - a popular specialty - the set is a one-product type collection spanning the whole reign, and it sits naturally beside the 2016 "Changeover" set, the other great obverse-themed issue of the modern series. Capped at 100,000 sets, it is also among the smaller-mintage year sets of recent years, and complete sets in their original packaging are worth keeping that way.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Presentation folder
|-
| Coins
| 6 (5 cent to 2 dollars)
|-
| Special feature
| A different portrait on every coin
|-
| Mintage
| 100,000
|-
| Issue price
| $40.00
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 2024 Change of Monarch set in its presentation folder.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 portraits.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |
|The six portraits of the set, from Gillick to Thorne.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set]]
* [[Australian two dollar coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T06:54:07Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Set ===== The 2016 mint set, themed "The Changeover", marked the 50th anniversary of the introduction of decimal currency on 14 February 1966. Its distinction sits on the front of the coins: for the first time in the series, every coin in the set carries a commemorative obverse - a special anniversary portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, issued for that year only. The reverses remain the standard designs. The mintage was 62,718 and..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 2016 mint set, themed "The Changeover", marked the 50th anniversary of the introduction of decimal currency on 14 February 1966. Its distinction sits on the front of the coins: for the first time in the series, every coin in the set carries a commemorative obverse - a special anniversary portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, issued for that year only. The reverses remain the standard designs. The mintage was 62,718 and the issue price $25.00.

===== The Anniversary Obverse =====
Ian Rank-Broadley's standard portrait had appeared on Australian coins since 1999, and for the anniversary year he prepared a modified version marking the 50th year of decimal currency, which appears on all six denominations in the set. Collectors of the individual denominations will know the portrait from the 2016 rows of the design tables on this wiki, where it is coded IBR50. The same portrait appeared in the corresponding 2016 proof year set, making 2016 a complete one-year portrait type across the Mint's collector products.

===== Fiftieth Anniversary Year =====
The Changeover set was the centrepiece of a wide anniversary program that recalled the events of 1966, and it pairs naturally with the 2024 Change of Monarch set, the other great obverse-themed issue of the modern series: where the 2016 set repeats a single commemorative portrait across all six denominations, the 2024 set gives every denomination a different one. Together the two sets bracket the portrait story of the modern era, from a single reign celebrated to a succession marked.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Presentation folder
|-
| Coins
| 6 (5 cent to 2 dollars)
|-
| Special feature
| Anniversary obverse on every coin
|-
| Mintage
| 62,718
|-
| Issue price
| $25.00
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 2016 "Changeover" set, with the anniversary obverse on every coin.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 obverse.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |
|The 50th anniversary obverse by Ian Rank-Broadley (IBR50).
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T06:50:17Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Set ===== The 2006 mint set celebrated the 40th anniversary of decimal currency and did so in the most direct way possible: by bringing back the 1 cent and 2 cent coins. The set was a one-off return to eight coins, the two bronze denominations joining the five standard coins and the two dollar for the first time since 1991. The mintage was 87,407 and the issue price $23.50, and the set proved popular with collectors who had grown up with the small..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 2006 mint set celebrated the 40th anniversary of decimal currency and did so in the most direct way possible: by bringing back the 1 cent and 2 cent coins. The set was a one-off return to eight coins, the two bronze denominations joining the five standard coins and the two dollar for the first time since 1991. The mintage was 87,407 and the issue price $23.50, and the set proved popular with collectors who had grown up with the small coins.

===== The Returning Small Coins =====
The 1 cent and 2 cent coins in the set are dated 2006 - bronze denominations that had been withdrawn from circulation fourteen years earlier, struck once more for the anniversary year and never issued in a later set. Their feathertail glider and frill-necked lizard reverses, absent from the coinage since 1992, returned exactly as Stuart Devlin had drawn them in 1966. For denomination collectors the two coins are the only post-1991 examples of their kind in uncirculated condition, which gives the set an importance beyond its anniversary theme.

The remaining six coins - 5 cent, 10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent, one dollar and two dollars - carry their standard designs, all with the Ian Rank-Broadley obverse. The set is a natural bookend to the 1992 Barcelona set, which began the six-coin era that this anniversary issue briefly interrupted.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Presentation folder
|-
| Coins
| 8 (1 cent to 2 dollars - one-off composition)
|-
| Special feature
| The 1 cent and 2 cent return for the anniversary
|-
| Mintage
| 87,407
|-
| Issue price
| $23.50
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 2006 anniversary set: eight coins, with the 1 cent and 2 cent back for one year only.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian one-cent coin]]
* [[Australian two-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T06:46:21Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Set ===== The 1992 mint set commemorated the Games of the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona, and it marks a dividing line in the series: it was the first year set issued after the withdrawal of the 1 cent and 2 cent coins from circulation in February 1992, and the first to contain just the six denominations that remain current today. Collectors seeking the final 1 cent and 2 cent coins must therefore look to the 1991 set, the last of the eight-coin issues..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 1992 mint set commemorated the Games of the XXV Olympiad in Barcelona, and it marks a dividing line in the series: it was the first year set issued after the withdrawal of the 1 cent and 2 cent coins from circulation in February 1992, and the first to contain just the six denominations that remain current today. Collectors seeking the final 1 cent and 2 cent coins must therefore look to the 1991 set, the last of the eight-coin issues. The 1992 set was priced at $15.00 and had a mintage of 118,528.

===== The Barcelona Dollar =====
The set's theme is carried by a commemorative one dollar coin honouring the Barcelona Olympic Games, which joins the five standard denominations - 5 cent, 10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent and two dollars - each carrying its usual design. All six coins are struck with the Raphael Maklouf obverse, in its final years of use on Australian coinage. The Barcelona dollar gives the set its collector interest, and the one-year composition change makes it a natural companion piece to the 2006 anniversary set, which brought the small coins back for one last appearance.

===== The Six-Coin Era =====
The move to six coins has proved permanent, and every year set since 1992 has contained the same denominations. The withdrawal of the bronze coins meant the mint set became the only annual product in which a complete set of the year's coinage could still be acquired, a role it retains to this day. For collectors building a run of the series, the 1992 set is the point where the modern era begins: cheaper to complete than the early wallet years, but with the same one-set-per-year rhythm that defines the collection.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Presentation folder
|-
| Coins
| 6 (5 cent to 2 dollars)
|-
| Commemorative design
| Barcelona Olympics 1 dollar
|-
| Mintage
| 118,528
|-
| Issue price
| $15.00
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 1992 Barcelona Olympics set - the first of the modern six-coin sets.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 Barcelona 1 dollar.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |
|The Barcelona Olympics commemorative one dollar.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian one dollar coin]]
* [[Australian one-cent coin]]
* [[Australian two-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T06:40:39Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Set ===== The 1988 mint set celebrated the Bicentenary of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, and it is a landmark of the series in almost every respect. It was the first eight-coin year set, adding the new two dollar coin to the seven denominations of the 1985-87 sets; it carries the highest mintage of any year set, at 250,000; and, unusually, it contains two commemorative designs at once, on the one dollar and the fifty cent. The issue price..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 1988 mint set celebrated the Bicentenary of the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, and it is a landmark of the series in almost every respect. It was the first eight-coin year set, adding the new two dollar coin to the seven denominations of the 1985-87 sets; it carries the highest mintage of any year set, at 250,000; and, unusually, it contains two commemorative designs at once, on the one dollar and the fifty cent. The issue price jumped to $12.00, reflecting both the extra coins and the grandest packaging the series had yet seen.

===== The Coins =====
The eight coins - 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent, one dollar and two dollars - are sealed in a colourful fold-out presentation pack through which both sides of every coin can be seen. The newcomer is the [[Australian two dollar coin|two dollar coin]], introduced in 1988 to replace the two dollar note, its reverse of the Aboriginal elder designed by Horst Hahne, whose HH initials appear on the coin. The two dollar coin of the set is a first-year type that gives the set much of its appeal.

The two commemoratives mark the Bicentenary: the one dollar carries a commemorative reverse honouring the First Fleet, and the fifty cent shows a sailing ship passing over an early chart of the east coast of Australia. The remaining five coins carry their standard Stuart Devlin reverses, and all eight are struck with the Raphael Maklouf obverse portrait of the Queen.

===== A Record Mintage =====
At 250,000 sets, the 1988 issue remains the highest-mintage year set ever released, and the figure has never been approached since. The Bicentenary celebrations brought record numbers of new collectors into the hobby, and the set was among the Mint's bestsellers of the era. Intact examples remain inexpensive today and make an excellent type set of the period, bringing together the first-year two dollar coin and two Bicentenary commemoratives in a single sealed pack.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Sealed fold-out presentation pack, see-both-sides
|-
| Coins
| 8 (1 cent to 2 dollars)
|-
| Commemorative designs
| Bicentenary 1 dollar and 50 cent
|-
| Mintage
| 250,000 (series record)
|-
| Issue price
| $12.00
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 1988 Bicentenary set: eight coins in the fold-out presentation pack.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 Bicentenary 1 dollar.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |
|The Bicentenary commemorative one dollar.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian two dollar coin]]
* [[Australian one dollar coin]]
* [[Australian fifty-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 1982 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T06:37:33Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Set ===== The 1982 mint set commemorated the XII Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane - the third Commonwealth Games hosted by Australia, after Sydney in 1938 and Perth in 1962, and the first in the city - which ran from 30 September to 9 October 1982. As in 1970 and 1977, the theme was carried by the fifty cent coin. The set contains the six standard denominations housed unsealed in a plastic wallet, was priced at $3.00, and had a mintage of 195,9..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 1982 mint set commemorated the XII Commonwealth Games held in Brisbane - the third Commonwealth Games hosted by Australia, after Sydney in 1938 and Perth in 1962, and the first in the city - which ran from 30 September to 9 October 1982. As in 1970 and 1977, the theme was carried by the fifty cent coin. The set contains the six standard denominations housed unsealed in a plastic wallet, was priced at $3.00, and had a mintage of 195,950 - well up on the previous year's 120,000, reflecting the nationwide enthusiasm the Games generated.

===== The Games Fifty Cent =====
The commemorative fifty cent honours the Brisbane Games, and it proved to be one of the most abundant commemoratives Australia has issued: nearly 50 million were struck for circulation, where the coin became a pocket piece for a generation of Australians. That abundance makes circulating examples inexpensive today, and the mint set remains the natural way to acquire the coin in true uncirculated condition, sealed alongside its five standard companions.

The remaining coins - the 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent - carry the Arnold Machin obverse and Stuart Devlin's standard reverses. As with other sets of the unsealed-wallet era, examples with bright untoned coins and undamaged wallets are worth a premium over the commonly seen toned sets.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Plastic wallet, coins unsealed
|-
| Coins
| 6 (1 cent to 50 cent)
|-
| Commemorative design
| XII Commonwealth Games 50 cent
|-
| Mintage
| 195,950
|-
| Issue price
| $3.00
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 1982 Commonwealth Games set in its plastic wallet.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 Games 50c.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |
|The Brisbane Commonwealth Games commemorative fifty cent.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian fifty-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 1977 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T06:34:38Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Set ===== The 1977 mint set marked the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, twenty-five years since her accession in February 1952. Following the pattern established by the 1970 Captain Cook set, the jubilee was celebrated on the fifty cent coin, with the remaining five denominations in standard designs. The six coins are housed unsealed in a plastic wallet, and the set was issued at $1.80 with a mintage of 128,010 - comfortably the largest of th..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 1977 mint set marked the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, twenty-five years since her accession in February 1952. Following the pattern established by the 1970 Captain Cook set, the jubilee was celebrated on the fifty cent coin, with the remaining five denominations in standard designs. The six coins are housed unsealed in a plastic wallet, and the set was issued at $1.80 with a mintage of 128,010 - comfortably the largest of the early sets and more than five times the figure for 1974, the rarest year of the series.

===== The Jubilee Fifty Cent =====
The commemorative reverse centres on a wattle blossom, the floral emblem of Australia, encircled by twenty-five overlapping crowns representing each year of the reign. The coin was also struck in enormous numbers for circulation - some 25 million pieces - so the jubilee design is familiar to everyone who handled coins of the era. In the mint set the commemorative reverse appears with the Arnold Machin obverse portrait of the Queen whose reign it celebrates, and the remaining coins from the 1 cent to the 20 cent all carry their standard Stuart Devlin designs.

Sets of this era are often found with toned or tarnished coins, because the unsealed wallets left the bronze and cupro-nickel surfaces exposed to the air for nearly half a century. Examples with bright, untoned coins and intact wallets command a premium well beyond the modest catalogue value of the set as a whole.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Plastic wallet, coins unsealed
|-
| Coins
| 6 (1 cent to 50 cent)
|-
| Commemorative design
| Silver Jubilee 50 cent
|-
| Mintage
| 128,010
|-
| Issue price
| $1.80
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 1977 Silver Jubilee set in its plastic wallet.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 Jubilee 50c.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |
|The Silver Jubilee fifty cent: a central wattle blossom surrounded by twenty-five crowns.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian fifty-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 1970 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T06:32:40Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Set ===== The 1970 mint set marked the bicentenary of Captain James Cook's charting of the east coast of Australia in 1770, and it holds an important place in the series: it was the first Australian year set to contain a commemorative coin. The six coins are housed unsealed in a red plastic wallet in the style of the day, the issue price was $2.00, and the mintage was 40,230 sets - the highest since the first year of the series. ===== The Cook Fi..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 1970 mint set marked the bicentenary of Captain James Cook's charting of the east coast of Australia in 1770, and it holds an important place in the series: it was the first Australian year set to contain a commemorative coin. The six coins are housed unsealed in a red plastic wallet in the style of the day, the issue price was $2.00, and the mintage was 40,230 sets - the highest since the first year of the series.

===== The Cook Fifty Cent =====
The commemorative coin of the set is the fifty cent, Stuart Devlin's design carrying a portrait of Captain Cook at left beside a map of Australia, with the dual dates 1770 and 1970. The coin was also released into general circulation, where it made history as Australia's first decimal circulating commemorative, and it remains one of the most widely recognised of all Australian commemorative coins. Within the mint set it takes the place of the standard Coat of Arms fifty cent, while the remaining five coins - the 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent - carry their standard designs with the Arnold Machin obverse.

The Cook theme ran across the Mint's 1970 collector program, which included the corresponding proof set and small VIP presentation editions of the commemorative for dignitaries. For collectors of the year set series, however, the standard red wallet issue is the one to find, and intact examples with undamaged wallets and untarnished coins are worth seeking out.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Red plastic wallet, coins unsealed
|-
| Coins
| 6 (1 cent to 50 cent)
|-
| Commemorative design
| Captain Cook Bicentenary 50 cent
|-
| Mintage
| 40,230
|-
| Issue price
| $2.00
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 1970 set in its red wallet, with the Captain Cook commemorative fifty cent heading the coins.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 Cook 50c.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |
|The Captain Cook bicentenary fifty cent, Stuart Devlin's portrait of the navigator beside a map of Australia.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian fifty-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 1969 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T06:29:22Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Set ===== The 1969 mint set was the second decimal year set and the first of the continuous annual series that has run ever since: no sets were issued for 1967 or 1968, because no Australian decimal coin carries either date. As before, it contained the six circulating denominations from the 1 cent to the 50 cent, with the coins housed unsealed in a plastic wallet. The issue price remained $1.50, and the official mintag..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 1969 mint set was the second decimal year set and the first of the continuous annual series that has run ever since: no sets were issued for 1967 or 1968, because no Australian decimal coin carries either date. As before, it contained the six circulating denominations from the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] to the 50 cent, with the coins housed unsealed in a plastic wallet. The issue price remained $1.50, and the official mintage was 31,176 sets.

===== The Two Wallets =====
Collectors recognise two varieties of the 1969 set, distinguished only by the colour of the wallet: 16,825 sets were issued in a red wallet and 14,351 in blue, and the two figures together account for the full mintage. The blue wallet is slightly scarcer and carries a modest premium, but the difference is one of packaging alone - the coins are identical. Both wallets follow the simple style of the era, with the six loose coins held in individual pockets behind a printed cover.

===== The Coins =====
The set is the first year set to contain the dodecagonal [[Australian fifty-cent coin|fifty cent coin]], which replaced the short-lived round silver original in 1969. All six coins carry the Arnold Machin obverse and Stuart Devlin's standard reverses, so the set has no commemorative designs. The 1969 date is nonetheless an interesting one for the mint set collector: the 2 cent, 10 cent and 20 cent coins were struck for circulation in comparatively small numbers that year, so intact sets remain a principal source of choice uncirculated examples with full original lustre.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Set details'''
|-
| Packaging
| Plastic wallet, coins unsealed - red or blue
|-
| Coins
| 6 (1 cent to 50 cent)
|-
| Commemorative designs
| None
|-
| Mintage
| 31,176 (16,825 red, 14,351 blue)
|-
| Issue price
| $1.50
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 coins.jpg|200px]]
|The 1969 set: six unsealed coins in their plastic wallet.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 blue wallet.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |
|The scarcer blue wallet variety. Mintage 14,351.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian fifty-cent coin]]
* [[Australian twenty-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T06:27:52Z

Admin:

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 1966 mint set holds a unique place in Australian numismatics: it was the first uncirculated set the Royal Australian Mint ever issued, released to mark the changeover to decimal currency on 14 February 1966. It contained one example of each of the six new coins, from the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] to the [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|round 50 cent]], with a combined face value of 88 cents. Uniquely among Australian year sets, the 1966 issue appeared in five different packagings - a carded set, two wallet issues and two small presentation issues - and their mintages together account for the official figure of 105,909 sets. No sets at all were issued for 1967 or 1968, and from 1969 the series settled into a single annual packaging.

===== The Carded Set =====
The version most often encountered is the carded set: the six coins sealed in plastic within a blue and white cardboard holder, initially available only to visitors to the newly opened Royal Australian Mint in Canberra and priced at just $1.00 - a markup of only 12 cents over the face value of the coins. A total of 77,250 carded sets were issued during 1966 and into early 1967.

Shortages of Australian-struck cupro-nickel coins meant that 67,250 of the carded sets contain 5, 10 and 20 cent coins struck by the Royal Mint in London, which had been producing Australian decimal coinage since 1965. Only the final 10,000 sets carry Canberra-struck cupro-nickel coins. The two varieties are told apart by their mint marks, explained on the [[Australian twenty-cent coin|twenty cent]] page, and sets containing the Canberra-struck coins command a premium among collectors.

===== The Wallet Sets =====
Two wallet issues followed the carded set. A dark blue vinyl wallet housed 15,809 sets, and the Reserve Bank of Australia issued a further 12,260 sets across four wallet colours - red, blue, green and black - each carrying the wording "AUSTRALIAN Decimal Currency FIRST ISSUE 1966" above a map of Australia, at a price of $1.50. Both wallet issues are markedly scarcer than the carded set today, and the four Reserve Bank colours give collectors a set-building challenge in their own right.

===== Presentation Wallets =====
Two small presentation issues complete the picture, neither of them sold to the public. Some 520 sets were struck for a VIP presentation wallet given to dignitaries involved in the changeover. Rarest of all are the 70 sets issued in green wallets inscribed "Operation Fastbuck" - the codename for the logistics exercise that moved Australia's first decimal currency from the Mint to banks across the country. The Fastbuck wallets were presented to the drivers who carried out the deliveries, and surviving examples are among the most keenly sought of all Australian decimal sets.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Variety'''
! align="center" |'''Packaging'''
! align="center" |'''Mintage'''
|-
| align="center" |Carded set
| align="center" |Blue and white cardboard holder, $1.00
| align="center" |77,250
|-
| align="center" |Dark blue wallet
| align="center" |Dark blue vinyl wallet
| align="center" |15,809
|-
| align="center" |Reserve Bank wallets
| align="center" |Red, blue, green and black vinyl wallets, $1.50
| align="center" |12,260
|-
| align="center" |VIP presentation wallet
| align="center" |Presentation wallet
| align="center" |520
|-
| align="center" |Operation Fastbuck wallet
| align="center" |Green vinyl wallet
| align="center" |70
|-
| align="center" |'''Total'''
| align="center" |
| align="center" |'''105,909'''
|}

===== The Coins =====
Every coin in the set carries the Arnold Machin obverse of Queen Elizabeth II in its first year of use on Australian decimal coins. The reverses are Stuart Devlin's original 1966 designs: the feathertail glider on the 1 cent, the frill-necked lizard on the 2 cent, the echidna on the 5 cent, the lyrebird on the 10 cent and the platypus on the 20 cent, while the round [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|50 cent]] carries the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and is struck in 80% silver - the only year the denomination took that form. For type collectors the set preserves first-year examples of all six designs in mint condition, and the sharpness and lustre of well-preserved examples set the standard by which the later sets are judged.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card coins.jpg|200px]]
|The carded set: coins sealed in plastic within the blue and white cardboard holder. Mintage 77,250.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet coins.jpg|200px]]
|The dark blue vinyl wallet issue. Mintage 15,809.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA coins.jpg|200px]]
|A Reserve Bank wallet, inscribed "First Issue 1966" with a map of Australia. Combined mintage 12,260 across four colours.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 VIP packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 VIP coins.jpg|200px]]
|The VIP presentation wallet. Just 520 sets, presented to dignitaries involved in the changeover.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 Fastbuck packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 Fastbuck coins.jpg|200px]]
|The Operation Fastbuck wallet, rarest of the five - just 70 green wallets, presented to the drivers who delivered Australia's first decimal currency.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian fifty-cent round coin]]
* [[Australian twenty-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins

2026-08-29T06:24:27Z

Admin:

__FORCETOC__

===== Definition =====
An uncirculated (UNC) coin is one which has never been released into general circulation or used as currency - in the words of the Royal Australian Mint's own glossary, "a coin which has not been distributed or used as currency". In everyday collecting the term is used in two related ways. As a '''grade''', it describes any coin that shows no wear from handling, whether it came from a sealed mint set, an untouched mint roll or a lucky bank bag. As a '''product''', it refers to coins the Mint strikes specially for collectors on a dedicated uncirculated press, finished and packaged to a higher standard than coins made for spending.

On the international 70-point grading scale, uncirculated corresponds to the Mint State range from MS60 to MS70. An MS60 coin is technically uncirculated but may show heavy bag marks and dull lustre, while MS70 describes a flawless coin with full original brilliance and no imperfections visible under magnification. Bag marks - the small contact marks picked up when coins knock against each other in mint handling - are present on virtually all uncirculated coins and do not disqualify the grade; it is their number and severity that decides where a coin sits between MS60 and MS70.

===== Characteristics =====
* Purpose: Collecting. Uncirculated coins are sold directly to collectors and never pass through the banking system.

* Finish: Mint condition, sharper than circulated coins. Fields retain their original mint lustre with no wear on the high points of the design.

* Strike: Struck once on selected blanks by a dedicated uncirculated press running at a fraction of circulating-press speed, giving a sharper impression than coins made for general circulation.

* Handling: Coins are monitored on the production line and individually packaged, then sold through the Mint's shop, eShop and dealer network rather than delivered to banks.

* Availability: Offered each year as the six-coin uncirculated year set (the traditional "mint set"), together with themed special editions.

===== Production =====
Uncirculated coins are struck on a dedicated press with an automatic feed capable of up to 80 coins per minute, or around 20,000 coins per day. By comparison, the circulating-coin presses strike up to 650 coins per minute with pressures of up to 200 tonnes. Staff monitor the conveyor belt as uncirculated coins leave the press and remove any that do not meet standard, and the finished coins are individually packaged for the Mint's shop, eShop and commercial dealers. Blanks destined for uncirculated and proof coins may also be burnished - spun in a drum with steel balls and detergent - to remove unwanted surface marks before striking.

The uncirculated finish sits between circulating and proof quality. A proof coin is struck four to six times on a manually operated press with 180 to 360 tonnes of pressure, using specially prepared dies to create frosted designs on mirror-like fields, and each piece is individually inspected under magnification. The Mint emphasises that proof is a method of manufacture, not a condition or grade. Uncirculated coins share the single strike of a circulating coin but benefit from slower production, selected blanks and careful handling.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Attribute'''
! align="center" |'''Circulated'''
! align="center" |'''Uncirculated'''
! align="center" |'''Proof'''
|-
| align="center" |Strike rate
| align="center" |Up to 650 per minute
| align="center" |Up to 80 per minute
| align="center" |Manual press
|-
| align="center" |Strikes per coin
| align="center" |1
| align="center" |1
| align="center" |4-6
|-
| align="center" |Striking pressure
| align="center" |Up to 200 tonnes
| align="center" |-
| align="center" |180-360 tonnes
|-
| align="center" |Blank treatment
| align="center" |Standard
| align="center" |Selected; may be burnished
| align="center" |Annealed, pickled and burnished
|-
| align="center" |Inspection
| align="center" |Sampled in bags
| align="center" |Monitored on conveyor
| align="center" |Individual, under magnification
|-
| align="center" |Distribution
| align="center" |Banks
| align="center" |Mint shop, eShop, dealers
| align="center" |Mint shop, eShop, dealers
|}

===== Uncirculated Year Sets =====
Since decimal currency began, the Royal Australian Mint has marked each year with an uncirculated year set - the traditional "mint set" - containing one example of every circulating denomination. The first set, issued for [[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]], contained six coins from the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] to the [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|round 50 cent]] piece, and appeared in five different packagings described in the next section. No sets were issued for 1967 or 1968 - no Australian decimal coin carries either date, as coins struck in those years continued to use the 1966 date - and the annual series proper began in 1969.

The composition of the set has followed the evolution of Australia's coinage. The [[Australian one dollar coin|one dollar coin]] was added in 1985, making a seven-coin set, and the [[Australian two dollar coin|two dollar coin]] brought the count to eight in 1988. The 1991 set was the last to include the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] and [[Australian two-cent coin|2 cent]] coins, and from 1992 - the year the two small denominations were withdrawn from circulation - the set settled at its modern six coins. In 2006, for the 40th anniversary of decimal currency, the Mint issued a one-off eight-coin set that welcomed the 1 cent and 2 cent coins back for the occasion, and every set since has contained the six standard denominations.

Most years carry a commemorative theme expressed through a special design on one or more coins, with the remaining coins showing the standard [[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]] reverses. Landmark years include [[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988's First Fleet Bicentenary set]], struck to a record 250,000 mintage, and [[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016]], when for the first time every coin in the set carried a commemorative obverse celebrating the 50th anniversary of the changeover. The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, and the [[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024 Change of Monarch set]] paid tribute to the transition by pairing each of the six denominations with a different portrait - five effigies of Queen Elizabeth II from Mary Gillick's 1953 portrait onward, and the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III.

Not every coin in the sets matches its circulating counterpart. In years when the Mint struck no coins of a denomination for circulation, the year set carries the only examples of that date - twelve year sets contain such set-only coins, none more strikingly than 1986, when six of the set's seven coins never reached circulation at all. These dates, together with the special designs and finishes that only the sets have carried, are catalogued on the [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins|set exclusive coins page]].

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Mint Set.jpg|300px]]
|A typical six-coin uncirculated year set in its sealed presentation folder.
|}

===== The 1966 Sets =====
More than one kind of 1966 mint set exists - the first-year issue appeared in five distinct packagings, and their mintages together account for the official figure of 105,909 sets. The version most often seen is the '''carded set''': coins sealed in plastic within a blue and white cardboard holder, initially available only to visitors to the new Mint in Canberra and priced at $1.00. Shortages of Australian-struck cupro-nickel coins meant that 67,250 of the 77,250 carded sets contain 5, 10 and 20 cent coins struck by the Royal Mint in London, with only the final 10,000 sets carrying Canberra-struck coins (see the [[Australian twenty-cent coin|twenty cent]] page for the mint mark differences).

Two wallet issues followed. A dark blue vinyl wallet housed 15,809 sets, and the Reserve Bank of Australia issued a further 12,260 sets across red, blue, green and black wallets carrying the wording "AUSTRALIAN Decimal Currency FIRST ISSUE 1966" with a map of Australia, priced at $1.50. Two small presentation issues complete the picture: 520 sets in a VIP presentation wallet for dignitaries involved in the changeover, and just 70 sets in green wallets labelled "Operation Fastbuck" - the codename for the logistics exercise that moved Australia's first decimal currency to banks across the country, with the wallets presented to the drivers who carried it. The full story of the five varieties is told on the [[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966 set page]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Variety'''
! align="center" |'''Packaging'''
! align="center" |'''Mintage'''
|-
| align="center" |Carded set
| align="center" |Blue and white cardboard holder, $1.00
| align="center" |77,250
|-
| align="center" |Dark blue wallet
| align="center" |Dark blue vinyl wallet
| align="center" |15,809
|-
| align="center" |Reserve Bank wallets
| align="center" |Red, blue, green and black vinyl wallets, $1.50
| align="center" |12,260
|-
| align="center" |VIP presentation wallet
| align="center" |Presentation wallet
| align="center" |520
|-
| align="center" |Operation Fastbuck wallet
| align="center" |Green vinyl wallet
| align="center" |70
|-
| align="center" |'''Total'''
| align="center" |
| align="center" |'''105,909'''
|}

===== Year Set Issues =====
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|[[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]]
|[[Australian 1969 Uncirculated Mint Set|1969]]
|[[Australian 1970 Uncirculated Mint Set|1970]]
|1971
|1972
|1973
|1974
|1975
|1976
|[[Australian 1977 Uncirculated Mint Set|1977]]
|1978
|1979
|-
!Theme
|First decimal coins
|Standard designs
|Captain Cook Bicentenary
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Silver Jubilee
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|-
!Mintage
|105,909
|31,176
|40,230
|28,572
|39,065
|30,928
|25,475
|30,121
|40,004
|128,010
|70,006
|70,006
|-
!Issue price
|$1.50
|$1.50
|$2.00
|$1.50
|$1.50
|$1.70
|$1.70
|$1.70
|$1.80
|$1.80
|$2.00
|$2.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1980
|1981
|[[Australian 1982 Uncirculated Mint Set|1982]]
|1983
|1984
|1985
|1986
|1987
|[[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988]]
|1989
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Commonwealth Games
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|International Year of Peace
|Standard designs
|First Fleet Bicentenary
|Standard designs
|-
!Mintage
|100,000
|120,000
|195,950
|155,700
|150,014
|170,000
|180,000
|200,000
|250,000
|150,602
|-
!Issue price
|$2.20
|$3.00
|$3.00
|$3.00
|$3.20
|$4.20
|$4.50
|$9.70
|$12.00
|$13.50
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|7
|7
|7
|8
|8
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1990
|1991
|[[Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set|1992]]
|1993
|1994
|1995
|1996
|1997
|1998
|1999
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|25th Anniv. of decimal currency
|Barcelona Olympics
|Landcare
|Year of the Family
|50th Anniv. end of WWII
|Sir Henry Parkes
|Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
|Bass and Flinders
|Int. Year of Older Persons
|-
!Mintage
|103,766
|147,900
|118,528
|84,784
|91,942
|96,079
|108,773
|71,022
|74,108
|70,067
|-
!Issue price
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$18.75
|$18.75
|$18.75
|$19.95
|-
!Coins in set
|8
|8
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2000
|2001
|2002
|2003
|2004
|2005
|[[Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set|2006]]
|2007
|2008
|2009
|-
!Theme
|Millennium
|Centenary of Federation
|Year of the Outback
|Australia's Volunteers
|Coins Come Alive
|60th Anniv. end of WWII
|40 Years of Decimal Currency
|Year of the Surf Lifesaver
|Year of Planet Earth
|Year of Astronomy
|-
!Mintage
|106,394
|90,822
|68,752
|80,512
|57,565
|71,546
|87,407
|67,643
|95,138
|55,452
|-
!Issue price
|$19.95
|$21.62
|$22.70
|$22.70
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$26.00
|$35.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|8
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|[[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016]]
|2017
|2018
|2019
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs, coloured 50c
|Standard designs, coloured 20c
|Standard designs, coloured $1
|50th Anniv. of the Mint
|The Changeover
|Effigy of an Era
|Armistice Centenary
|Moon Landing 50th
|-
!Mintage
|50,989
|41,883
|58,554
|45,792
|43,777
|49,682
|62,718
|Unlimited
| -
| -
|-
!Issue price
|$30.00
|$30.00
|$32.50
|$32.50
|$32.50
|$25.00
|$25.00
|$25.00
|$65.00
|$25.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2023
|[[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024]]
|2025
|2026
|-
!Theme
|Sixth effigy of Elizabeth II
|50th Anniv. Aboriginal Flag
|Frontline Workers
|Vegemite Centenary
|Change of Monarch
|Australian Honours System 50th
|60 Years of Decimal Currency
|-
!Mintage
| -
| -
| -
|117,397
|100,000
| -
| -
|-
!Issue price
| -
| -
| -
| -
|$40.00
|$40.00
|$40.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|No sets were issued for 1967 or 1968. The 1977 set marked the Queen's Silver Jubilee with a commemorative 50 cent design.
|-
|The 1966 mintage of 105,909 is the combined total of the five packaging varieties described under The 1966 Sets.
|-
|The one dollar coin joined the set in 1985 and the two dollar coin in 1988. The 1988 Bicentenary set remains the highest-mintage year set issued.
|-
|The 1991 set was the last to include the 1 cent and 2 cent coins. From 1992 the set contained the six denominations that remain current today.
|-
|The 2004 "Coins Come Alive" set featured a two dollar coin with a fine pattern of grooves on its reverse. The 2006 anniversary set was a one-off return to eight coins, including the 1 cent and 2 cent pieces.
|-
|The 2015 set marked the Royal Australian Mint's own 50th anniversary with a commemorative 50 cent coin. The 2016 "Changeover" set carried special 50th anniversary obverses on every coin, and the 2017 set paid tribute to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait.
|-
|The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on all six coins. The 2024 Change of Monarch set placed a different portrait on each denomination.
|-
|"Unlimited" indicates the set was struck to demand rather than to a fixed mintage. A dash indicates figures the Mint has not confirmed. Mintage figures for the earlier years are drawn from Royal Australian Mint annual reports as compiled by collectors. Issue prices are the Mint's recommended retail price at the time of release.
|}

===== Set Gallery =====
The gallery below shows every uncirculated year set from 1966 to 2026, with the packaging of each set alongside the coins in their folder. It traces the evolution of the product from the gift wallet of 1966 through the sealed folders of later decades to today's presentation packs. The table is collapsed by default - click "expand" to browse every year from 1966 to 2026. Rows whose photographs have not yet been uploaded appear as red links in the meantime.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Year set gallery, 1966 - 2026
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]] carded set - coins sealed in plastic within a blue and white cardboard holder, sold at the Mint shop for $1.00. Mintage 77,250.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]] dark blue wallet set. Mintage 15,809.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]] Reserve Bank wallet set - one of four colours, inscribed "First Issue 1966" with a map of Australia. Combined mintage 12,260.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 VIP packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 VIP coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]] VIP presentation wallet - one of just 520 sets, presented to dignitaries involved in the changeover.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 Fastbuck packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 Fastbuck coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]] Operation Fastbuck wallet - one of 70 green wallets presented to the drivers who delivered the first decimal currency.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1969 Uncirculated Mint Set|1969]] - the first of the continuous annual series; issued in red and blue wallets. Mintage 31,176.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1970 Uncirculated Mint Set|1970]] - Captain Cook Bicentenary, the first commemorative in a year set. Mintage 40,230.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1971 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1971 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1971 - standard designs. Mintage 28,572.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1972 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1972 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1972 - standard designs. Mintage 39,065.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1973 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1973 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1973 - standard designs. Mintage 30,928.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1974 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1974 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1974 - standard designs; the rarest year set. Mintage 25,475.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1975 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1975 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1975 - standard designs. Mintage 30,121.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1976 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1976 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1976 - standard designs. Mintage 40,004.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1977 Uncirculated Mint Set|1977]] - Silver Jubilee, with a commemorative 50 cent. Mintage 128,010.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1978 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1978 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1978 - standard designs. Mintage 70,006.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1979 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1979 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1979 - standard designs. Mintage 70,006.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1980 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1980 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1980 - standard designs. Mintage 100,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1981 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1981 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1981 - standard designs. Mintage 120,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1982 Uncirculated Mint Set|1982]] - Brisbane Commonwealth Games. Mintage 195,950.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1983 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1983 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1983 - standard designs. Mintage 155,700.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1984 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1984 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1984 - standard designs. Mintage 150,014.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1985 - the one dollar coin joined the set, making seven coins. Mintage 170,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1986 - International Year of Peace. Mintage 180,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1987 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1987 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1987 - standard designs. Mintage 200,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988]] - First Fleet Bicentenary; the first eight-coin set and still the highest-mintage year set, with commemorative designs on the one dollar and fifty cent. Mintage 250,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1989 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1989 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1989 - standard designs. Mintage 150,602.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1990 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1990 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1990 - standard designs. Mintage 103,766.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1991 - 25th anniversary of decimal currency. Mintage 147,900.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set|1992]] - Barcelona Olympics, with a commemorative one dollar; the first of the modern six-coin sets. Mintage 118,528.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1993 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1993 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1993 - Landcare, with a commemorative one dollar coin. Mintage 84,784.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1994 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1994 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1994 - Year of the Family. Mintage 91,942.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1995 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1995 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1995 - 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mintage 96,079.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1996 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1996 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1996 - Sir Henry Parkes. Mintage 108,773.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1997 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1997 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1997 - Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Mintage 71,022.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1998 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1998 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1998 - Bass and Flinders. Mintage 74,108.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1999 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1999 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1999 - International Year of Older Persons. Mintage 70,067.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2000 - Millennium. Mintage 106,394.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2001 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2001 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2001 - Centenary of Federation. Mintage 90,822.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2002 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2002 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2002 - Year of the Outback. Mintage 68,752.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2003 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2003 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2003 - Australia's Volunteers. Mintage 80,512.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2004 - "Coins Come Alive", with the grooved two dollar coin. Mintage 57,565.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2005 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2005 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2005 - 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mintage 71,546.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set|2006]] - 40 years of decimal currency; a one-off return to eight coins, the 1 cent and 2 cent back for the occasion. Mintage 87,407.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2007 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2007 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2007 - Year of the Surf Lifesaver. Mintage 67,643.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2008 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2008 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2008 - Year of Planet Earth. Mintage 95,138.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2009 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2009 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2009 - International Year of Astronomy. Mintage 55,452.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2010 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2010 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2010 - standard designs. Mintage 50,989.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2011 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2011 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2011 - standard designs. Mintage 41,883.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2012 - standard designs with a coloured 50 cent. Mintage 58,554.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2013 - standard designs with a coloured 20 cent. Mintage 45,792.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2014 - standard designs with a coloured one dollar. Mintage 43,777.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2015 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2015 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2015 - 50th anniversary of the Royal Australian Mint. Mintage 49,682.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016]] - "The Changeover"; 50th anniversary obverses on every coin. Mintage 62,718.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2017 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2017 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2017 - "Effigy of an Era", tribute to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait. Struck to demand.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2018 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2018 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2018 - Armistice Centenary. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2019 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2019 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2019 - Moon Landing 50th anniversary. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2020 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2020 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2020 - introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Elizabeth II on all six coins. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2021 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2021 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2021 - 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal flag. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2022 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2022 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2022 - Frontline Workers. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2023 - Vegemite Centenary. Mintage 117,397.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024]] - Change of Monarch; a different portrait on each denomination. Mintage 100,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2025 - 50th anniversary of the Australian Honours System. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2026 - 60 years of decimal currency. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|}

===== Special Editions =====
Beyond the standard year sets, the Mint has issued a number of special uncirculated editions. Limited edition sets released at the World Money Fair in Berlin between 2011 and 2020 came in custom-designed sleeves and typically had small mintages; these now command substantial premiums on the secondary market. The 2019 "Effigies Over Time" set carried a different portrait of the Queen from 1953 to 2019 on each of its six coins, and themed editions such as the 2023 "Creatures of the Deep" set have appeared alongside the annual issues.

Baby sets, in which all six coins carry playful baby-animal designs, have proved popular gift items. The 2023 Baby set brought together the baby coins created for the 2021 and 2022 editions. Two-coin year sets focusing on a single theme, such as the Australian Wool (2011), Wheat (2012) and Mining (2013) editions, offer a more affordable entry point into the uncirculated series.

===== Grading and Condition =====
Because they are handled carefully and sealed at the Mint, coins from intact year sets generally preserve their original lustre and represent the easiest way to acquire high-grade examples of each year's coinage. Collectors grading uncirculated coins look first for full, undisturbed mint lustre, then count and weigh the bag marks scattered across the fields and portrait, and finally assess the sharpness of the strike on high points such as the echidna's spines or the emu's feathers. Sealed sets should be stored cool, dry and upright, as plastic folders can mark coins over time - a phenomenon collectors describe as PVC damage - and toning, while sometimes attractive, is best kept even and unbroken. Coins removed from sets and submitted to grading services are typically awarded grades in the MS61 to MS65 range, with MS66 and above reserved for exceptional examples.

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian UNC Set Exclusive Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Proof Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Not Intended for Circulation (NIFC) Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Bullion Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set

2026-08-29T05:37:02Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== The Set ===== The 1966 mint set holds a unique place in Australian numismatics: it was the first uncirculated set the Royal Australian Mint ever issued, released to mark the changeover to decimal currency on 14 February 1966. It contained one example of each of the six new coins, from the 1 cent to the round 50 cent, with a combined face value of 88 cents. Uniquely among Australian year..."

__FORCETOC__

===== The Set =====
The 1966 mint set holds a unique place in Australian numismatics: it was the first uncirculated set the Royal Australian Mint ever issued, released to mark the changeover to decimal currency on 14 February 1966. It contained one example of each of the six new coins, from the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] to the [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|round 50 cent]], with a combined face value of 88 cents. Uniquely among Australian year sets, the 1966 issue appeared in five different packagings - a carded set, two wallet issues and two small presentation issues - and their mintages together account for the official figure of 105,909 sets. No sets at all were issued for 1967 or 1968, and from 1969 the series settled into a single annual packaging.

===== The Carded Set =====
The version most often encountered is the carded set: the six coins sealed in plastic within a blue and white cardboard holder, initially available only to visitors to the newly opened Royal Australian Mint in Canberra and priced at just $1.00 - a markup of only 12 cents over the face value of the coins. A total of 77,250 carded sets were issued during 1966 and into early 1967.

Shortages of Australian-struck cupro-nickel coins meant that 67,250 of the carded sets contain 5, 10 and 20 cent coins struck by the Royal Mint in London, which had been producing Australian decimal coinage since 1965. Only the final 10,000 sets carry Canberra-struck cupro-nickel coins. The two varieties are told apart by their mint marks, explained on the [[Australian twenty-cent coin|twenty cent]] page, and sets containing the Canberra-struck coins command a premium among collectors.

===== The Wallet Sets =====
Two wallet issues followed the carded set. A dark blue vinyl wallet housed 15,809 sets, and the Reserve Bank of Australia issued a further 12,260 sets across four wallet colours - red, blue, green and black - each carrying the wording "AUSTRALIAN Decimal Currency FIRST ISSUE 1966" above a map of Australia, at a price of $1.50. Both wallet issues are markedly scarcer than the carded set today, and the four Reserve Bank colours give collectors a set-building challenge in their own right.

===== Presentation Wallets =====
Two small presentation issues complete the picture, neither of them sold to the public. Some 520 sets were struck for a VIP presentation wallet given to dignitaries involved in the changeover. Rarest of all are the 70 sets issued in green wallets inscribed "Operation Fastbuck" - the codename for the logistics exercise that moved Australia's first decimal currency from the Mint to banks across the country. The Fastbuck wallets were presented to the drivers who carried out the deliveries, and surviving examples are among the most keenly sought of all Australian decimal sets.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Variety'''
! align="center" |'''Packaging'''
! align="center" |'''Mintage'''
|-
| align="center" |Carded set
| align="center" |Blue and white cardboard holder, $1.00
| align="center" |77,250
|-
| align="center" |Dark blue wallet
| align="center" |Dark blue vinyl wallet
| align="center" |15,809
|-
| align="center" |Reserve Bank wallets
| align="center" |Red, blue, green and black vinyl wallets, $1.50
| align="center" |12,260
|-
| align="center" |VIP presentation wallet
| align="center" |Presentation wallet
| align="center" |520
|-
| align="center" |Operation Fastbuck wallet
| align="center" |Green vinyl wallet
| align="center" |70
|-
| align="center" |'''Total'''
| align="center" |
| align="center" |'''105,909'''
|}

===== The Coins =====
Every coin in the set carries the Arnold Machin obverse of Queen Elizabeth II in its first year of use on Australian decimal coins. The reverses are Stuart Devlin's original 1966 designs: the feathertail glider on the 1 cent, the frill-necked lizard on the 2 cent, the echidna on the 5 cent, the lyrebird on the 10 cent and the platypus on the 20 cent, while the round [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|50 cent]] carries the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and is struck in 80% silver - the only year the denomination took that form. For type collectors the set preserves first-year examples of all six designs in mint condition, and the sharpness and lustre of well-preserved examples set the standard by which the later sets are judged.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card coins.jpg|200px]]
|The carded set: coins sealed in plastic within the blue and white cardboard holder. Mintage 77,250.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet coins.jpg|200px]]
|The dark blue vinyl wallet issue. Mintage 15,809.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA coins.jpg|200px]]
|A Reserve Bank wallet, inscribed "First Issue 1966" with a map of Australia. Combined mintage 12,260 across four colours.
|}

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian fifty-cent round coin]]
* [[Australian twenty-cent coin]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins

2026-08-29T05:33:41Z

Admin:

__FORCETOC__

===== Definition =====
An uncirculated (UNC) coin is one which has never been released into general circulation or used as currency - in the words of the Royal Australian Mint's own glossary, "a coin which has not been distributed or used as currency". In everyday collecting the term is used in two related ways. As a '''grade''', it describes any coin that shows no wear from handling, whether it came from a sealed mint set, an untouched mint roll or a lucky bank bag. As a '''product''', it refers to coins the Mint strikes specially for collectors on a dedicated uncirculated press, finished and packaged to a higher standard than coins made for spending.

On the international 70-point grading scale, uncirculated corresponds to the Mint State range from MS60 to MS70. An MS60 coin is technically uncirculated but may show heavy bag marks and dull lustre, while MS70 describes a flawless coin with full original brilliance and no imperfections visible under magnification. Bag marks - the small contact marks picked up when coins knock against each other in mint handling - are present on virtually all uncirculated coins and do not disqualify the grade; it is their number and severity that decides where a coin sits between MS60 and MS70.

===== Characteristics =====
* Purpose: Collecting. Uncirculated coins are sold directly to collectors and never pass through the banking system.

* Finish: Mint condition, sharper than circulated coins. Fields retain their original mint lustre with no wear on the high points of the design.

* Strike: Struck once on selected blanks by a dedicated uncirculated press running at a fraction of circulating-press speed, giving a sharper impression than coins made for general circulation.

* Handling: Coins are monitored on the production line and individually packaged, then sold through the Mint's shop, eShop and dealer network rather than delivered to banks.

* Availability: Offered each year as the six-coin uncirculated year set (the traditional "mint set"), together with themed special editions.

===== Production =====
Uncirculated coins are struck on a dedicated press with an automatic feed capable of up to 80 coins per minute, or around 20,000 coins per day. By comparison, the circulating-coin presses strike up to 650 coins per minute with pressures of up to 200 tonnes. Staff monitor the conveyor belt as uncirculated coins leave the press and remove any that do not meet standard, and the finished coins are individually packaged for the Mint's shop, eShop and commercial dealers. Blanks destined for uncirculated and proof coins may also be burnished - spun in a drum with steel balls and detergent - to remove unwanted surface marks before striking.

The uncirculated finish sits between circulating and proof quality. A proof coin is struck four to six times on a manually operated press with 180 to 360 tonnes of pressure, using specially prepared dies to create frosted designs on mirror-like fields, and each piece is individually inspected under magnification. The Mint emphasises that proof is a method of manufacture, not a condition or grade. Uncirculated coins share the single strike of a circulating coin but benefit from slower production, selected blanks and careful handling.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Attribute'''
! align="center" |'''Circulated'''
! align="center" |'''Uncirculated'''
! align="center" |'''Proof'''
|-
| align="center" |Strike rate
| align="center" |Up to 650 per minute
| align="center" |Up to 80 per minute
| align="center" |Manual press
|-
| align="center" |Strikes per coin
| align="center" |1
| align="center" |1
| align="center" |4-6
|-
| align="center" |Striking pressure
| align="center" |Up to 200 tonnes
| align="center" |-
| align="center" |180-360 tonnes
|-
| align="center" |Blank treatment
| align="center" |Standard
| align="center" |Selected; may be burnished
| align="center" |Annealed, pickled and burnished
|-
| align="center" |Inspection
| align="center" |Sampled in bags
| align="center" |Monitored on conveyor
| align="center" |Individual, under magnification
|-
| align="center" |Distribution
| align="center" |Banks
| align="center" |Mint shop, eShop, dealers
| align="center" |Mint shop, eShop, dealers
|}

===== Uncirculated Year Sets =====
Since decimal currency began, the Royal Australian Mint has marked each year with an uncirculated year set - the traditional "mint set" - containing one example of every circulating denomination. The first set, issued for [[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]], contained six coins from the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] to the [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|round 50 cent]] piece, and appeared in five different packagings described in the next section. No sets were issued for 1967 or 1968 - no Australian decimal coin carries either date, as coins struck in those years continued to use the 1966 date - and the annual series proper began in 1969.

The composition of the set has followed the evolution of Australia's coinage. The [[Australian one dollar coin|one dollar coin]] was added in 1985, making a seven-coin set, and the [[Australian two dollar coin|two dollar coin]] brought the count to eight in 1988. The 1991 set was the last to include the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] and [[Australian two-cent coin|2 cent]] coins, and from 1992 - the year the two small denominations were withdrawn from circulation - the set settled at its modern six coins. In 2006, for the 40th anniversary of decimal currency, the Mint issued a one-off eight-coin set that welcomed the 1 cent and 2 cent coins back for the occasion, and every set since has contained the six standard denominations.

Most years carry a commemorative theme expressed through a special design on one or more coins, with the remaining coins showing the standard [[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]] reverses. Landmark years include [[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988's First Fleet Bicentenary set]], struck to a record 250,000 mintage, and [[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016]], when for the first time every coin in the set carried a commemorative obverse celebrating the 50th anniversary of the changeover. The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, and the [[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024 Change of Monarch set]] paid tribute to the transition by pairing each of the six denominations with a different portrait - five effigies of Queen Elizabeth II from Mary Gillick's 1953 portrait onward, and the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Mint Set.jpg|300px]]
|A typical six-coin uncirculated year set in its sealed presentation folder.
|}

===== The 1966 Sets =====
More than one kind of 1966 mint set exists - the first-year issue appeared in five distinct packagings, and their mintages together account for the official figure of 105,909 sets. The version most often seen is the '''carded set''': coins sealed in plastic within a blue and white cardboard holder, initially available only to visitors to the new Mint in Canberra and priced at $1.00. Shortages of Australian-struck cupro-nickel coins meant that 67,250 of the 77,250 carded sets contain 5, 10 and 20 cent coins struck by the Royal Mint in London, with only the final 10,000 sets carrying Canberra-struck coins (see the [[Australian twenty-cent coin|twenty cent]] page for the mint mark differences).

Two wallet issues followed. A dark blue vinyl wallet housed 15,809 sets, and the Reserve Bank of Australia issued a further 12,260 sets across red, blue, green and black wallets carrying the wording "AUSTRALIAN Decimal Currency FIRST ISSUE 1966" with a map of Australia, priced at $1.50. Two small presentation issues complete the picture: 520 sets in a VIP presentation wallet for dignitaries involved in the changeover, and just 70 sets in green wallets labelled "Operation Fastbuck" - the codename for the logistics exercise that moved Australia's first decimal currency to banks across the country, with the wallets presented to the drivers who carried it. The full story of the five varieties is told on the [[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966 set page]].

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Variety'''
! align="center" |'''Packaging'''
! align="center" |'''Mintage'''
|-
| align="center" |Carded set
| align="center" |Blue and white cardboard holder, $1.00
| align="center" |77,250
|-
| align="center" |Dark blue wallet
| align="center" |Dark blue vinyl wallet
| align="center" |15,809
|-
| align="center" |Reserve Bank wallets
| align="center" |Red, blue, green and black vinyl wallets, $1.50
| align="center" |12,260
|-
| align="center" |VIP presentation wallet
| align="center" |Presentation wallet
| align="center" |520
|-
| align="center" |Operation Fastbuck wallet
| align="center" |Green vinyl wallet
| align="center" |70
|-
| align="center" |'''Total'''
| align="center" |
| align="center" |'''105,909'''
|}

===== Year Set Issues =====
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|[[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]]
|[[Australian 1969 Uncirculated Mint Set|1969]]
|[[Australian 1970 Uncirculated Mint Set|1970]]
|1971
|1972
|1973
|1974
|1975
|1976
|[[Australian 1977 Uncirculated Mint Set|1977]]
|1978
|1979
|-
!Theme
|First decimal coins
|Standard designs
|Captain Cook Bicentenary
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Silver Jubilee
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|-
!Mintage
|105,909
|31,176
|40,230
|28,572
|39,065
|30,928
|25,475
|30,121
|40,004
|128,010
|70,006
|70,006
|-
!Issue price
|$1.50
|$1.50
|$2.00
|$1.50
|$1.50
|$1.70
|$1.70
|$1.70
|$1.80
|$1.80
|$2.00
|$2.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1980
|1981
|[[Australian 1982 Uncirculated Mint Set|1982]]
|1983
|1984
|1985
|1986
|1987
|[[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988]]
|1989
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Commonwealth Games
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|International Year of Peace
|Standard designs
|First Fleet Bicentenary
|Standard designs
|-
!Mintage
|100,000
|120,000
|195,950
|155,700
|150,014
|170,000
|180,000
|200,000
|250,000
|150,602
|-
!Issue price
|$2.20
|$3.00
|$3.00
|$3.00
|$3.20
|$4.20
|$4.50
|$9.70
|$12.00
|$13.50
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|7
|7
|7
|8
|8
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1990
|1991
|[[Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set|1992]]
|1993
|1994
|1995
|1996
|1997
|1998
|1999
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|25th Anniv. of decimal currency
|Barcelona Olympics
|Landcare
|Year of the Family
|50th Anniv. end of WWII
|Sir Henry Parkes
|Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
|Bass and Flinders
|Int. Year of Older Persons
|-
!Mintage
|103,766
|147,900
|118,528
|84,784
|91,942
|96,079
|108,773
|71,022
|74,108
|70,067
|-
!Issue price
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$18.75
|$18.75
|$18.75
|$19.95
|-
!Coins in set
|8
|8
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2000
|2001
|2002
|2003
|2004
|2005
|[[Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set|2006]]
|2007
|2008
|2009
|-
!Theme
|Millennium
|Centenary of Federation
|Year of the Outback
|Australia's Volunteers
|Coins Come Alive
|60th Anniv. end of WWII
|40 Years of Decimal Currency
|Year of the Surf Lifesaver
|Year of Planet Earth
|Year of Astronomy
|-
!Mintage
|106,394
|90,822
|68,752
|80,512
|57,565
|71,546
|87,407
|67,643
|95,138
|55,452
|-
!Issue price
|$19.95
|$21.62
|$22.70
|$22.70
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$26.00
|$35.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|8
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|[[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016]]
|2017
|2018
|2019
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs, coloured 50c
|Standard designs, coloured 20c
|Standard designs, coloured $1
|50th Anniv. of the Mint
|The Changeover
|Effigy of an Era
|Armistice Centenary
|Moon Landing 50th
|-
!Mintage
|50,989
|41,883
|58,554
|45,792
|43,777
|49,682
|62,718
|Unlimited
| -
| -
|-
!Issue price
|$30.00
|$30.00
|$32.50
|$32.50
|$32.50
|$25.00
|$25.00
|$25.00
|$65.00
|$25.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2023
|[[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024]]
|2025
|2026
|-
!Theme
|Sixth effigy of Elizabeth II
|50th Anniv. Aboriginal Flag
|Frontline Workers
|Vegemite Centenary
|Change of Monarch
|Australian Honours System 50th
|60 Years of Decimal Currency
|-
!Mintage
| -
| -
| -
|117,397
|100,000
| -
| -
|-
!Issue price
| -
| -
| -
| -
|$40.00
|$40.00
|$40.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|No sets were issued for 1967 or 1968. The 1977 set marked the Queen's Silver Jubilee with a commemorative 50 cent design.
|-
|The 1966 mintage of 105,909 is the combined total of the five packaging varieties described under The 1966 Sets.
|-
|The one dollar coin joined the set in 1985 and the two dollar coin in 1988. The 1988 Bicentenary set remains the highest-mintage year set issued.
|-
|The 1991 set was the last to include the 1 cent and 2 cent coins. From 1992 the set contained the six denominations that remain current today.
|-
|The 2004 "Coins Come Alive" set featured a two dollar coin with a fine pattern of grooves on its reverse. The 2006 anniversary set was a one-off return to eight coins, including the 1 cent and 2 cent pieces.
|-
|The 2015 set marked the Royal Australian Mint's own 50th anniversary with a commemorative 50 cent coin. The 2016 "Changeover" set carried special 50th anniversary obverses on every coin, and the 2017 set paid tribute to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait.
|-
|The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on all six coins. The 2024 Change of Monarch set placed a different portrait on each denomination.
|-
|"Unlimited" indicates the set was struck to demand rather than to a fixed mintage. A dash indicates figures the Mint has not confirmed. Mintage figures for the earlier years are drawn from Royal Australian Mint annual reports as compiled by collectors. Issue prices are the Mint's recommended retail price at the time of release.
|}

===== Set Gallery =====
The gallery below shows every uncirculated year set from 1966 to 2026, with the packaging of each set alongside the coins in their folder. It traces the evolution of the product from the gift wallet of 1966 through the sealed folders of later decades to today's presentation packs. The table is collapsed by default - click "expand" to browse every year from 1966 to 2026. Rows whose photographs have not yet been uploaded appear as red links in the meantime.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Year set gallery, 1966 - 2026
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 card coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]] carded set - coins sealed in plastic within a blue and white cardboard holder, sold at the Mint shop for $1.00. Mintage 77,250.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 wallet coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]] dark blue wallet set. Mintage 15,809.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 RBA coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1966 Uncirculated Mint Set|1966]] Reserve Bank wallet set - one of four colours, inscribed "First Issue 1966" with a map of Australia. Combined mintage 12,260.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1969 Uncirculated Mint Set|1969]] - the first of the continuous annual series; issued in red and blue wallets. Mintage 31,176.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1970 Uncirculated Mint Set|1970]] - Captain Cook Bicentenary, the first commemorative in a year set. Mintage 40,230.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1971 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1971 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1971 - standard designs. Mintage 28,572.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1972 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1972 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1972 - standard designs. Mintage 39,065.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1973 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1973 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1973 - standard designs. Mintage 30,928.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1974 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1974 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1974 - standard designs; the rarest year set. Mintage 25,475.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1975 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1975 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1975 - standard designs. Mintage 30,121.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1976 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1976 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1976 - standard designs. Mintage 40,004.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1977 Uncirculated Mint Set|1977]] - Silver Jubilee, with a commemorative 50 cent. Mintage 128,010.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1978 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1978 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1978 - standard designs. Mintage 70,006.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1979 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1979 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1979 - standard designs. Mintage 70,006.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1980 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1980 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1980 - standard designs. Mintage 100,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1981 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1981 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1981 - standard designs. Mintage 120,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1982 Uncirculated Mint Set|1982]] - Brisbane Commonwealth Games. Mintage 195,950.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1983 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1983 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1983 - standard designs. Mintage 155,700.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1984 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1984 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1984 - standard designs. Mintage 150,014.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1985 - the one dollar coin joined the set, making seven coins. Mintage 170,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1986 - International Year of Peace. Mintage 180,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1987 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1987 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1987 - standard designs. Mintage 200,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1988 Uncirculated Mint Set|1988]] - First Fleet Bicentenary; the first eight-coin set and still the highest-mintage year set, with commemorative designs on the one dollar and fifty cent. Mintage 250,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1989 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1989 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1989 - standard designs. Mintage 150,602.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1990 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1990 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1990 - standard designs. Mintage 103,766.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1991 - 25th anniversary of decimal currency. Mintage 147,900.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 1992 Uncirculated Mint Set|1992]] - Barcelona Olympics, with a commemorative one dollar; the first of the modern six-coin sets. Mintage 118,528.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1993 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1993 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1993 - Landcare, with a commemorative one dollar coin. Mintage 84,784.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1994 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1994 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1994 - Year of the Family. Mintage 91,942.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1995 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1995 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1995 - 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mintage 96,079.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1996 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1996 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1996 - Sir Henry Parkes. Mintage 108,773.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1997 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1997 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1997 - Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Mintage 71,022.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1998 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1998 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1998 - Bass and Flinders. Mintage 74,108.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1999 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1999 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1999 - International Year of Older Persons. Mintage 70,067.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2000 - Millennium. Mintage 106,394.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2001 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2001 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2001 - Centenary of Federation. Mintage 90,822.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2002 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2002 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2002 - Year of the Outback. Mintage 68,752.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2003 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2003 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2003 - Australia's Volunteers. Mintage 80,512.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2004 - "Coins Come Alive", with the grooved two dollar coin. Mintage 57,565.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2005 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2005 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2005 - 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mintage 71,546.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 2006 Uncirculated Mint Set|2006]] - 40 years of decimal currency; a one-off return to eight coins, the 1 cent and 2 cent back for the occasion. Mintage 87,407.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2007 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2007 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2007 - Year of the Surf Lifesaver. Mintage 67,643.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2008 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2008 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2008 - Year of Planet Earth. Mintage 95,138.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2009 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2009 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2009 - International Year of Astronomy. Mintage 55,452.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2010 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2010 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2010 - standard designs. Mintage 50,989.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2011 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2011 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2011 - standard designs. Mintage 41,883.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2012 - standard designs with a coloured 50 cent. Mintage 58,554.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2013 - standard designs with a coloured 20 cent. Mintage 45,792.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2014 - standard designs with a coloured one dollar. Mintage 43,777.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2015 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2015 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2015 - 50th anniversary of the Royal Australian Mint. Mintage 49,682.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 2016 Uncirculated Mint Set|2016]] - "The Changeover"; 50th anniversary obverses on every coin. Mintage 62,718.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2017 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2017 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2017 - "Effigy of an Era", tribute to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait. Struck to demand.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2018 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2018 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2018 - Armistice Centenary. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2019 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2019 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2019 - Moon Landing 50th anniversary. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2020 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2020 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2020 - introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Elizabeth II on all six coins. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2021 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2021 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2021 - 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal flag. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2022 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2022 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2022 - Frontline Workers. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2023 - Vegemite Centenary. Mintage 117,397.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 coins.jpg|200px]]
|[[Australian 2024 Uncirculated Mint Set|2024]] - Change of Monarch; a different portrait on each denomination. Mintage 100,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2025 - 50th anniversary of the Australian Honours System. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2026 - 60 years of decimal currency. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|}

===== Special Editions =====
Beyond the standard year sets, the Mint has issued a number of special uncirculated editions. Limited edition sets released at the World Money Fair in Berlin between 2011 and 2020 came in custom-designed sleeves and typically had small mintages; these now command substantial premiums on the secondary market. The 2019 "Effigies Over Time" set carried a different portrait of the Queen from 1953 to 2019 on each of its six coins, and themed editions such as the 2023 "Creatures of the Deep" set have appeared alongside the annual issues.

Baby sets, in which all six coins carry playful baby-animal designs, have proved popular gift items. The 2023 Baby set brought together the baby coins created for the 2021 and 2022 editions. Two-coin year sets focusing on a single theme, such as the Australian Wool (2011), Wheat (2012) and Mining (2013) editions, offer a more affordable entry point into the uncirculated series.

===== Grading and Condition =====
Because they are handled carefully and sealed at the Mint, coins from intact year sets generally preserve their original lustre and represent the easiest way to acquire high-grade examples of each year's coinage. Collectors grading uncirculated coins look first for full, undisturbed mint lustre, then count and weigh the bag marks scattered across the fields and portrait, and finally assess the sharpness of the strike on high points such as the echidna's spines or the emu's feathers. Sealed sets should be stored cool, dry and upright, as plastic folders can mark coins over time - a phenomenon collectors describe as PVC damage - and toning, while sometimes attractive, is best kept even and unbroken. Coins removed from sets and submitted to grading services are typically awarded grades in the MS61 to MS65 range, with MS66 and above reserved for exceptional examples.

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Proof Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Not Intended for Circulation (NIFC) Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Bullion Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins

2026-08-29T04:53:41Z

Admin:

__FORCETOC__

===== Definition =====
An uncirculated (UNC) coin is one which has never been released into general circulation or used as currency - in the words of the Royal Australian Mint's own glossary, "a coin which has not been distributed or used as currency". In everyday collecting the term is used in two related ways. As a '''grade''', it describes any coin that shows no wear from handling, whether it came from a sealed mint set, an untouched mint roll or a lucky bank bag. As a '''product''', it refers to coins the Mint strikes specially for collectors on a dedicated uncirculated press, finished and packaged to a higher standard than coins made for spending.

On the international 70-point grading scale, uncirculated corresponds to the Mint State range from MS60 to MS70. An MS60 coin is technically uncirculated but may show heavy bag marks and dull lustre, while MS70 describes a flawless coin with full original brilliance and no imperfections visible under magnification. Bag marks - the small contact marks picked up when coins knock against each other in mint handling - are present on virtually all uncirculated coins and do not disqualify the grade; it is their number and severity that decides where a coin sits between MS60 and MS70.

===== Characteristics =====
* Purpose: Collecting. Uncirculated coins are sold directly to collectors and never pass through the banking system.

* Finish: Mint condition, sharper than circulated coins. Fields retain their original mint lustre with no wear on the high points of the design.

* Strike: Struck once on selected blanks by a dedicated uncirculated press running at a fraction of circulating-press speed, giving a sharper impression than coins made for general circulation.

* Handling: Coins are monitored on the production line and individually packaged, then sold through the Mint's shop, eShop and dealer network rather than delivered to banks.

* Availability: Offered each year as the six-coin uncirculated year set (the traditional "mint set"), together with themed special editions.

===== Production =====
Uncirculated coins are struck on a dedicated press with an automatic feed capable of up to 80 coins per minute, or around 20,000 coins per day. By comparison, the circulating-coin presses strike up to 650 coins per minute with pressures of up to 200 tonnes. Staff monitor the conveyor belt as uncirculated coins leave the press and remove any that do not meet standard, and the finished coins are individually packaged for the Mint's shop, eShop and commercial dealers. Blanks destined for uncirculated and proof coins may also be burnished - spun in a drum with steel balls and detergent - to remove unwanted surface marks before striking.

The uncirculated finish sits between circulating and proof quality. A proof coin is struck four to six times on a manually operated press with 180 to 360 tonnes of pressure, using specially prepared dies to create frosted designs on mirror-like fields, and each piece is individually inspected under magnification. The Mint emphasises that proof is a method of manufacture, not a condition or grade. Uncirculated coins share the single strike of a circulating coin but benefit from slower production, selected blanks and careful handling.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Attribute'''
! align="center" |'''Circulated'''
! align="center" |'''Uncirculated'''
! align="center" |'''Proof'''
|-
| align="center" |Strike rate
| align="center" |Up to 650 per minute
| align="center" |Up to 80 per minute
| align="center" |Manual press
|-
| align="center" |Strikes per coin
| align="center" |1
| align="center" |1
| align="center" |4-6
|-
| align="center" |Striking pressure
| align="center" |Up to 200 tonnes
| align="center" |-
| align="center" |180-360 tonnes
|-
| align="center" |Blank treatment
| align="center" |Standard
| align="center" |Selected; may be burnished
| align="center" |Annealed, pickled and burnished
|-
| align="center" |Inspection
| align="center" |Sampled in bags
| align="center" |Monitored on conveyor
| align="center" |Individual, under magnification
|-
| align="center" |Distribution
| align="center" |Banks
| align="center" |Mint shop, eShop, dealers
| align="center" |Mint shop, eShop, dealers
|}

===== Uncirculated Year Sets =====
Since decimal currency began, the Royal Australian Mint has marked each year with an uncirculated year set - the traditional "mint set" - containing one example of every circulating denomination. The first set, issued for 1966, contained six coins from the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] to the [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|round 50 cent]] piece in a gift wallet priced at $1.50. No sets were issued for 1967 or 1968, years in which no decimal coins were struck at all, and the annual series proper began in 1969.

The composition of the set has followed the evolution of Australia's coinage. The [[Australian one dollar coin|one dollar coin]] was added in 1985, making a seven-coin set, and the [[Australian two dollar coin|two dollar coin]] brought the count to eight in 1988. The 1992 set was the last to include the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] and [[Australian two-cent coin|2 cent]] coins before their withdrawal from circulation, and from 1993 the set settled at its modern six coins. In 2006, for the 40th anniversary of decimal currency, the Mint issued a one-off eight-coin set that welcomed the 1 cent and 2 cent coins back for the occasion, and every set since has contained the six standard denominations.

Most years carry a commemorative theme expressed through a special design on one or more coins, with the remaining coins showing the standard [[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]] reverses. Landmark years include 1988's First Fleet Bicentenary set, struck to a record 250,000 mintage, and 2016, when for the first time every coin in the set carried a commemorative obverse celebrating the 50th anniversary of the changeover. The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, and the 2024 Change of Monarch set paid tribute to the transition by pairing each of the six denominations with a different portrait - five effigies of Queen Elizabeth II from Mary Gillick's 1953 portrait onward, and the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Mint Set.jpg|300px]]
|A typical six-coin uncirculated year set in its sealed presentation folder.
|}

===== Year Set Issues =====
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1966
|1969
|1970
|1971
|1972
|1973
|1974
|1975
|1976
|1977
|1978
|1979
|-
!Theme
|First decimal coins
|Standard designs
|Captain Cook Bicentenary
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Silver Jubilee
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|-
!Mintage
|105,909
|31,176
|40,230
|28,572
|39,065
|30,928
|25,475
|30,121
|40,004
|128,010
|70,006
|70,006
|-
!Issue price
|$1.50
|$1.50
|$2.00
|$1.50
|$1.50
|$1.70
|$1.70
|$1.70
|$1.80
|$1.80
|$2.00
|$2.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1980
|1981
|1982
|1983
|1984
|1985
|1986
|1987
|1988
|1989
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Commonwealth Games
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|International Year of Peace
|Standard designs
|First Fleet Bicentenary
|Standard designs
|-
!Mintage
|100,000
|120,000
|195,950
|155,700
|150,014
|170,000
|180,000
|200,000
|250,000
|150,602
|-
!Issue price
|$2.20
|$3.00
|$3.00
|$3.00
|$3.20
|$4.20
|$4.50
|$9.70
|$12.00
|$13.50
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|7
|7
|7
|8
|8
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1990
|1991
|1992
|1993
|1994
|1995
|1996
|1997
|1998
|1999
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|25th Anniv. of decimal currency
|Barcelona Olympics
|Landcare
|Year of the Family
|50th Anniv. end of WWII
|Sir Henry Parkes
|Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
|Bass and Flinders
|Int. Year of Older Persons
|-
!Mintage
|103,766
|147,900
|118,528
|84,784
|91,942
|96,079
|108,773
|71,022
|74,108
|70,067
|-
!Issue price
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$18.75
|$18.75
|$18.75
|$19.95
|-
!Coins in set
|8
|8
|8
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2000
|2001
|2002
|2003
|2004
|2005
|2006
|2007
|2008
|2009
|-
!Theme
|Millennium
|Centenary of Federation
|Year of the Outback
|Australia's Volunteers
|Coins Come Alive
|60th Anniv. end of WWII
|40 Years of Decimal Currency
|Year of the Surf Lifesaver
|Year of Planet Earth
|Year of Astronomy
|-
!Mintage
|106,394
|90,822
|68,752
|80,512
|57,565
|71,546
|87,407
|67,643
|95,138
|55,452
|-
!Issue price
|$19.95
|$21.62
|$22.70
|$22.70
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$26.00
|$35.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|8
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|2016
|2017
|2018
|2019
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs, coloured 50c
|Standard designs, coloured 20c
|Standard designs, coloured $1
|50th Anniv. of the Mint
|The Changeover
|Effigy of an Era
|Armistice Centenary
|Moon Landing 50th
|-
!Mintage
|50,989
|41,883
|58,554
|45,792
|43,777
|49,682
|62,718
|Unlimited
| -
| -
|-
!Issue price
|$30.00
|$30.00
|$32.50
|$32.50
|$32.50
|$25.00
|$25.00
|$25.00
|$65.00
|$25.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2023
|2024
|2025
|2026
|-
!Theme
|Sixth effigy of Elizabeth II
|50th Anniv. Aboriginal Flag
|Frontline Workers
|Vegemite Centenary
|Change of Monarch
|Australian Honours System 50th
|60 Years of Decimal Currency
|-
!Mintage
| -
| -
| -
|117,397
|100,000
| -
| -
|-
!Issue price
| -
| -
| -
| -
|$40.00
|$40.00
|$40.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|No sets were issued for 1967 or 1968. The 1977 set marked the Queen's Silver Jubilee with a commemorative 50 cent design.
|-
|The one dollar coin joined the set in 1985 and the two dollar coin in 1988. The 1988 Bicentenary set remains the highest-mintage year set issued.
|-
|The 1992 set was the last to include the 1 cent and 2 cent coins. From 1993 the set contained the six denominations that remain current today.
|-
|The 2004 "Coins Come Alive" set featured a two dollar coin with a fine pattern of grooves on its reverse. The 2006 anniversary set was a one-off return to eight coins, including the 1 cent and 2 cent pieces.
|-
|The 2015 set marked the Royal Australian Mint's own 50th anniversary with a commemorative 50 cent coin. The 2016 "Changeover" set carried special 50th anniversary obverses on every coin, and the 2017 set paid tribute to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait.
|-
|The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on all six coins. The 2024 Change of Monarch set placed a different portrait on each denomination.
|-
|"Unlimited" indicates the set was struck to demand rather than to a fixed mintage. A dash indicates figures the Mint has not confirmed. Mintage figures for the earlier years are drawn from Royal Australian Mint annual reports as compiled by collectors. Issue prices are the Mint's recommended retail price at the time of release.
|}

===== Set Gallery =====
The gallery below shows every uncirculated year set from 1966 to 2026, with the packaging of each set alongside the coins in their folder. It traces the evolution of the product from the gift wallet of 1966 through the sealed folders of later decades to today's presentation packs. The table is collapsed by default - click "expand" to browse all 59 sets. Rows whose photographs have not yet been uploaded appear as red links in the meantime.

{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+Year set gallery, 1966 - 2026
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1966 - the first decimal year set, six coins in a gift wallet priced at $1.50. Mintage 105,909.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1969 - the first of the continuous annual series, standard designs. Mintage 31,176.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1970 - Captain Cook Bicentenary. Mintage 40,230.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1971 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1971 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1971 - standard designs. Mintage 28,572.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1972 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1972 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1972 - standard designs. Mintage 39,065.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1973 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1973 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1973 - standard designs. Mintage 30,928.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1974 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1974 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1974 - standard designs; the rarest year set. Mintage 25,475.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1975 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1975 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1975 - standard designs. Mintage 30,121.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1976 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1976 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1976 - standard designs. Mintage 40,004.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1977 - Silver Jubilee, with a commemorative 50 cent. Mintage 128,010.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1978 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1978 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1978 - standard designs. Mintage 70,006.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1979 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1979 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1979 - standard designs. Mintage 70,006.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1980 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1980 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1980 - standard designs. Mintage 100,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1981 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1981 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1981 - standard designs. Mintage 120,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1982 - Brisbane Commonwealth Games. Mintage 195,950.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1983 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1983 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1983 - standard designs. Mintage 155,700.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1984 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1984 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1984 - standard designs. Mintage 150,014.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1985 - the one dollar coin joined the set, making seven coins. Mintage 170,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1986 - International Year of Peace. Mintage 180,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1987 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1987 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1987 - standard designs. Mintage 200,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1988 - First Fleet Bicentenary; the first eight-coin set and still the highest-mintage year set. Mintage 250,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1989 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1989 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1989 - standard designs. Mintage 150,602.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1990 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1990 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1990 - standard designs. Mintage 103,766.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1991 - 25th anniversary of decimal currency. Mintage 147,900.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1992 - Barcelona Olympics; the last set to include the 1 cent and 2 cent. Mintage 118,528.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1993 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1993 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1993 - Landcare; the first of the modern six-coin sets. Mintage 84,784.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1994 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1994 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1994 - Year of the Family. Mintage 91,942.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1995 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1995 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1995 - 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mintage 96,079.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1996 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1996 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1996 - Sir Henry Parkes. Mintage 108,773.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1997 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1997 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1997 - Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Mintage 71,022.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1998 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1998 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1998 - Bass and Flinders. Mintage 74,108.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1999 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 1999 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1999 - International Year of Older Persons. Mintage 70,067.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2000 - Millennium. Mintage 106,394.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2001 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2001 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2001 - Centenary of Federation. Mintage 90,822.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2002 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2002 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2002 - Year of the Outback. Mintage 68,752.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2003 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2003 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2003 - Australia's Volunteers. Mintage 80,512.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2004 - "Coins Come Alive", with the grooved two dollar coin. Mintage 57,565.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2005 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2005 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2005 - 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mintage 71,546.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2006 - 40 years of decimal currency; a one-off return to eight coins. Mintage 87,407.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2007 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2007 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2007 - Year of the Surf Lifesaver. Mintage 67,643.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2008 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2008 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2008 - Year of Planet Earth. Mintage 95,138.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2009 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2009 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2009 - International Year of Astronomy. Mintage 55,452.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2010 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2010 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2010 - standard designs. Mintage 50,989.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2011 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2011 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2011 - standard designs. Mintage 41,883.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2012 - standard designs with a coloured 50 cent. Mintage 58,554.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2013 - standard designs with a coloured 20 cent. Mintage 45,792.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2014 - standard designs with a coloured one dollar. Mintage 43,777.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2015 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2015 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2015 - 50th anniversary of the Royal Australian Mint. Mintage 49,682.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2016 - "The Changeover"; 50th anniversary obverses on every coin. Mintage 62,718.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2017 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2017 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2017 - "Effigy of an Era", tribute to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait. Struck to demand.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2018 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2018 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2018 - Armistice Centenary. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2019 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2019 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2019 - Moon Landing 50th anniversary. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2020 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2020 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2020 - introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Elizabeth II on all six coins. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2021 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2021 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2021 - 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal flag. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2022 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2022 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2022 - Frontline Workers. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2023 - Vegemite Centenary. Mintage 117,397.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2024 - Change of Monarch; a different portrait on each denomination. Mintage 100,000.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2025 - 50th anniversary of the Australian Honours System. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 packaging.jpg|200px]]
| style="width:210px" |[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2026 - 60 years of decimal currency. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|}

===== Special Editions =====
Beyond the standard year sets, the Mint has issued a number of special uncirculated editions. Limited edition sets released at the World Money Fair in Berlin between 2011 and 2020 came in custom-designed sleeves and typically had small mintages; these now command substantial premiums on the secondary market. The 2019 "Effigies Over Time" set carried a different portrait of the Queen from 1953 to 2019 on each of its six coins, and themed editions such as the 2023 "Creatures of the Deep" set have appeared alongside the annual issues.

Baby sets, in which all six coins carry playful baby-animal designs, have proved popular gift items. The 2023 Baby set brought together the baby coins created for the 2021 and 2022 editions. Two-coin year sets focusing on a single theme, such as the Australian Wool (2011), Wheat (2012) and Mining (2013) editions, offer a more affordable entry point into the uncirculated series.

===== Grading and Condition =====
Because they are handled carefully and sealed at the Mint, coins from intact year sets generally preserve their original lustre and represent the easiest way to acquire high-grade examples of each year's coinage. Collectors grading uncirculated coins look first for full, undisturbed mint lustre, then count and weigh the bag marks scattered across the fields and portrait, and finally assess the sharpness of the strike on high points such as the echidna's spines or the emu's feathers. Sealed sets should be stored cool, dry and upright, as plastic folders can mark coins over time - a phenomenon collectors describe as PVC damage - and toning, while sometimes attractive, is best kept even and unbroken. Coins removed from sets and submitted to grading services are typically awarded grades in the MS61 to MS65 range, with MS66 and above reserved for exceptional examples.

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Proof Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Not Intended for Circulation (NIFC) Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Bullion Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins

2026-08-29T04:45:16Z

Admin:

__FORCETOC__

===== Definition =====
An uncirculated (UNC) coin is one which has never been released into general circulation or used as currency - in the words of the Royal Australian Mint's own glossary, "a coin which has not been distributed or used as currency". In everyday collecting the term is used in two related ways. As a '''grade''', it describes any coin that shows no wear from handling, whether it came from a sealed mint set, an untouched mint roll or a lucky bank bag. As a '''product''', it refers to coins the Mint strikes specially for collectors on a dedicated uncirculated press, finished and packaged to a higher standard than coins made for spending.

On the international 70-point grading scale, uncirculated corresponds to the Mint State range from MS60 to MS70. An MS60 coin is technically uncirculated but may show heavy bag marks and dull lustre, while MS70 describes a flawless coin with full original brilliance and no imperfections visible under magnification. Bag marks - the small contact marks picked up when coins knock against each other in mint handling - are present on virtually all uncirculated coins and do not disqualify the grade; it is their number and severity that decides where a coin sits between MS60 and MS70.

===== Characteristics =====
* Purpose: Collecting. Uncirculated coins are sold directly to collectors and never pass through the banking system.

* Finish: Mint condition, sharper than circulated coins. Fields retain their original mint lustre with no wear on the high points of the design.

* Strike: Struck once on selected blanks by a dedicated uncirculated press running at a fraction of circulating-press speed, giving a sharper impression than coins made for general circulation.

* Handling: Coins are monitored on the production line and individually packaged, then sold through the Mint's shop, eShop and dealer network rather than delivered to banks.

* Availability: Offered each year as the six-coin uncirculated year set (the traditional "mint set"), together with themed special editions.

===== Production =====
Uncirculated coins are struck on a dedicated press with an automatic feed capable of up to 80 coins per minute, or around 20,000 coins per day. By comparison, the circulating-coin presses strike up to 650 coins per minute with pressures of up to 200 tonnes. Staff monitor the conveyor belt as uncirculated coins leave the press and remove any that do not meet standard, and the finished coins are individually packaged for the Mint's shop, eShop and commercial dealers. Blanks destined for uncirculated and proof coins may also be burnished - spun in a drum with steel balls and detergent - to remove unwanted surface marks before striking.

The uncirculated finish sits between circulating and proof quality. A proof coin is struck four to six times on a manually operated press with 180 to 360 tonnes of pressure, using specially prepared dies to create frosted designs on mirror-like fields, and each piece is individually inspected under magnification. The Mint emphasises that proof is a method of manufacture, not a condition or grade. Uncirculated coins share the single strike of a circulating coin but benefit from slower production, selected blanks and careful handling.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Attribute'''
! align="center" |'''Circulated'''
! align="center" |'''Uncirculated'''
! align="center" |'''Proof'''
|-
| align="center" |Strike rate
| align="center" |Up to 650 per minute
| align="center" |Up to 80 per minute
| align="center" |Manual press
|-
| align="center" |Strikes per coin
| align="center" |1
| align="center" |1
| align="center" |4-6
|-
| align="center" |Striking pressure
| align="center" |Up to 200 tonnes
| align="center" |-
| align="center" |180-360 tonnes
|-
| align="center" |Blank treatment
| align="center" |Standard
| align="center" |Selected; may be burnished
| align="center" |Annealed, pickled and burnished
|-
| align="center" |Inspection
| align="center" |Sampled in bags
| align="center" |Monitored on conveyor
| align="center" |Individual, under magnification
|-
| align="center" |Distribution
| align="center" |Banks
| align="center" |Mint shop, eShop, dealers
| align="center" |Mint shop, eShop, dealers
|}

===== Uncirculated Year Sets =====
Since decimal currency began, the Royal Australian Mint has marked each year with an uncirculated year set - the traditional "mint set" - containing one example of every circulating denomination. The first set, issued for 1966, contained six coins from the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] to the [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|round 50 cent]] piece in a gift wallet priced at $1.50. No sets were issued for 1967 or 1968, years in which no decimal coins were struck at all, and the annual series proper began in 1969.

The composition of the set has followed the evolution of Australia's coinage. The [[Australian one dollar coin|one dollar coin]] was added in 1985, making a seven-coin set, and the [[Australian two dollar coin|two dollar coin]] brought the count to eight in 1988. The 1992 set was the last to include the [[Australian one-cent coin|1 cent]] and [[Australian two-cent coin|2 cent]] coins before their withdrawal from circulation, and from 1993 the set settled at its modern six coins. In 2006, for the 40th anniversary of decimal currency, the Mint issued a one-off eight-coin set that welcomed the 1 cent and 2 cent coins back for the occasion, and every set since has contained the six standard denominations.

Most years carry a commemorative theme expressed through a special design on one or more coins, with the remaining coins showing the standard [[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]] reverses. Landmark years include 1988's First Fleet Bicentenary set, struck to a record 250,000 mintage, and 2016, when for the first time every coin in the set carried a commemorative obverse celebrating the 50th anniversary of the changeover. The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, and the 2024 Change of Monarch set paid tribute to the transition by pairing each of the six denominations with a different portrait - five effigies of Queen Elizabeth II from Mary Gillick's 1953 portrait onward, and the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Mint Set.jpg|300px]]
|A typical six-coin uncirculated year set in its sealed presentation folder.
|}

===== Year Set Issues =====
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1966
|1969
|1970
|1971
|1972
|1973
|1974
|1975
|1976
|1977
|1978
|1979
|-
!Theme
|First decimal coins
|Standard designs
|Captain Cook Bicentenary
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Silver Jubilee
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|-
!Mintage
|105,909
|31,176
|40,230
|28,572
|39,065
|30,928
|25,475
|30,121
|40,004
|128,010
|70,006
|70,006
|-
!Issue price
|$1.50
|$1.50
|$2.00
|$1.50
|$1.50
|$1.70
|$1.70
|$1.70
|$1.80
|$1.80
|$2.00
|$2.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1980
|1981
|1982
|1983
|1984
|1985
|1986
|1987
|1988
|1989
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Commonwealth Games
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|International Year of Peace
|Standard designs
|First Fleet Bicentenary
|Standard designs
|-
!Mintage
|100,000
|120,000
|195,950
|155,700
|150,014
|170,000
|180,000
|200,000
|250,000
|150,602
|-
!Issue price
|$2.20
|$3.00
|$3.00
|$3.00
|$3.20
|$4.20
|$4.50
|$9.70
|$12.00
|$13.50
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|7
|7
|7
|8
|8
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|1990
|1991
|1992
|1993
|1994
|1995
|1996
|1997
|1998
|1999
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|25th Anniv. of decimal currency
|Barcelona Olympics
|Landcare
|Year of the Family
|50th Anniv. end of WWII
|Sir Henry Parkes
|Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
|Bass and Flinders
|Int. Year of Older Persons
|-
!Mintage
|103,766
|147,900
|118,528
|84,784
|91,942
|96,079
|108,773
|71,022
|74,108
|70,067
|-
!Issue price
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$15.00
|$18.75
|$18.75
|$18.75
|$19.95
|-
!Coins in set
|8
|8
|8
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2000
|2001
|2002
|2003
|2004
|2005
|2006
|2007
|2008
|2009
|-
!Theme
|Millennium
|Centenary of Federation
|Year of the Outback
|Australia's Volunteers
|Coins Come Alive
|60th Anniv. end of WWII
|40 Years of Decimal Currency
|Year of the Surf Lifesaver
|Year of Planet Earth
|Year of Astronomy
|-
!Mintage
|106,394
|90,822
|68,752
|80,512
|57,565
|71,546
|87,407
|67,643
|95,138
|55,452
|-
!Issue price
|$19.95
|$21.62
|$22.70
|$22.70
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$23.50
|$26.00
|$35.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|8
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|2016
|2017
|2018
|2019
|-
!Theme
|Standard designs
|Standard designs
|Standard designs, coloured 50c
|Standard designs, coloured 20c
|Standard designs, coloured $1
|50th Anniv. of the Mint
|The Changeover
|Effigy of an Era
|Armistice Centenary
|Moon Landing 50th
|-
!Mintage
|50,989
|41,883
|58,554
|45,792
|43,777
|49,682
|62,718
|Unlimited
| -
| -
|-
!Issue price
|$30.00
|$30.00
|$32.50
|$32.50
|$32.50
|$25.00
|$25.00
|$25.00
|$65.00
|$25.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Set year
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2023
|2024
|2025
|2026
|-
!Theme
|Sixth effigy of Elizabeth II
|50th Anniv. Aboriginal Flag
|Frontline Workers
|Vegemite Centenary
|Change of Monarch
|Australian Honours System 50th
|60 Years of Decimal Currency
|-
!Mintage
| -
| -
| -
|117,397
|100,000
| -
| -
|-
!Issue price
| -
| -
| -
| -
|$40.00
|$40.00
|$40.00
|-
!Coins in set
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|6
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|No sets were issued for 1967 or 1968. The 1977 set marked the Queen's Silver Jubilee with a commemorative 50 cent design.
|-
|The one dollar coin joined the set in 1985 and the two dollar coin in 1988. The 1988 Bicentenary set remains the highest-mintage year set issued.
|-
|The 1992 set was the last to include the 1 cent and 2 cent coins. From 1993 the set contained the six denominations that remain current today.
|-
|The 2004 "Coins Come Alive" set featured a two dollar coin with a fine pattern of grooves on its reverse. The 2006 anniversary set was a one-off return to eight coins, including the 1 cent and 2 cent pieces.
|-
|The 2015 set marked the Royal Australian Mint's own 50th anniversary with a commemorative 50 cent coin. The 2016 "Changeover" set carried special 50th anniversary obverses on every coin, and the 2017 set paid tribute to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait.
|-
|The 2020 set introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on all six coins. The 2024 Change of Monarch set placed a different portrait on each denomination.
|-
|"Unlimited" indicates the set was struck to demand rather than to a fixed mintage. A dash indicates figures the Mint has not confirmed. Mintage figures for the earlier years are drawn from Royal Australian Mint annual reports as compiled by collectors. Issue prices are the Mint's recommended retail price at the time of release.
|}

===== Set Gallery =====
The gallery below shows every uncirculated year set from 1966 to 2026, with the packaging of each set alongside the coins in their folder. It traces the evolution of the product from the gift wallet of 1966 through the sealed folders of later decades to today's presentation packs. Rows whose photographs have not yet been uploaded appear as red links in the meantime.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1966 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1966 - the first decimal year set, six coins in a gift wallet priced at $1.50. Mintage 105,909.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1969 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1969 - the first of the continuous annual series, standard designs. Mintage 31,176.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1970 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1970 - Captain Cook Bicentenary. Mintage 40,230.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1971 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1971 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1971 - standard designs. Mintage 28,572.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1972 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1972 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1972 - standard designs. Mintage 39,065.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1973 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1973 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1973 - standard designs. Mintage 30,928.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1974 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1974 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1974 - standard designs; the rarest year set. Mintage 25,475.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1975 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1975 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1975 - standard designs. Mintage 30,121.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1976 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1976 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1976 - standard designs. Mintage 40,004.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1977 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1977 - Silver Jubilee, with a commemorative 50 cent. Mintage 128,010.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1978 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1978 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1978 - standard designs. Mintage 70,006.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1979 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1979 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1979 - standard designs. Mintage 70,006.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1980 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1980 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1980 - standard designs. Mintage 100,000.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1981 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1981 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1981 - standard designs. Mintage 120,000.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1982 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1982 - Brisbane Commonwealth Games. Mintage 195,950.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1983 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1983 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1983 - standard designs. Mintage 155,700.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1984 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1984 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1984 - standard designs. Mintage 150,014.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1985 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1985 - the one dollar coin joined the set, making seven coins. Mintage 170,000.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1986 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1986 - International Year of Peace. Mintage 180,000.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1987 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1987 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1987 - standard designs. Mintage 200,000.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1988 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1988 - First Fleet Bicentenary; the first eight-coin set and still the highest-mintage year set. Mintage 250,000.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1989 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1989 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1989 - standard designs. Mintage 150,602.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1990 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1990 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1990 - standard designs. Mintage 103,766.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1991 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1991 - 25th anniversary of decimal currency. Mintage 147,900.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1992 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1992 - Barcelona Olympics; the last set to include the 1 cent and 2 cent. Mintage 118,528.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1993 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1993 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1993 - Landcare; the first of the modern six-coin sets. Mintage 84,784.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1994 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1994 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1994 - Year of the Family. Mintage 91,942.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1995 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1995 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1995 - 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mintage 96,079.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1996 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1996 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1996 - Sir Henry Parkes. Mintage 108,773.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1997 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1997 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1997 - Sir Charles Kingsford Smith. Mintage 71,022.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1998 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1998 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1998 - Bass and Flinders. Mintage 74,108.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1999 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 1999 coins.jpg|200px]]
|1999 - International Year of Older Persons. Mintage 70,067.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2000 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2000 - Millennium. Mintage 106,394.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2001 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2001 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2001 - Centenary of Federation. Mintage 90,822.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2002 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2002 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2002 - Year of the Outback. Mintage 68,752.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2003 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2003 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2003 - Australia's Volunteers. Mintage 80,512.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2004 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2004 - "Coins Come Alive", with the grooved two dollar coin. Mintage 57,565.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2005 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2005 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2005 - 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. Mintage 71,546.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2006 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2006 - 40 years of decimal currency; a one-off return to eight coins. Mintage 87,407.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2007 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2007 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2007 - Year of the Surf Lifesaver. Mintage 67,643.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2008 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2008 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2008 - Year of Planet Earth. Mintage 95,138.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2009 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2009 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2009 - International Year of Astronomy. Mintage 55,452.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2010 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2010 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2010 - standard designs. Mintage 50,989.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2011 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2011 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2011 - standard designs. Mintage 41,883.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2012 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2012 - standard designs with a coloured 50 cent. Mintage 58,554.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2013 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2013 - standard designs with a coloured 20 cent. Mintage 45,792.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2014 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2014 - standard designs with a coloured one dollar. Mintage 43,777.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2015 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2015 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2015 - 50th anniversary of the Royal Australian Mint. Mintage 49,682.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2016 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2016 - "The Changeover"; 50th anniversary obverses on every coin. Mintage 62,718.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2017 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2017 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2017 - "Effigy of an Era", tribute to the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait. Struck to demand.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2018 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2018 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2018 - Armistice Centenary. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2019 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2019 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2019 - Moon Landing 50th anniversary. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2020 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2020 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2020 - introduced the Jody Clark effigy of Elizabeth II on all six coins. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2021 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2021 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2021 - 50th anniversary of the Aboriginal flag. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2022 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2022 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2022 - Frontline Workers. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2023 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2023 - Vegemite Centenary. Mintage 117,397.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2024 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2024 - Change of Monarch; a different portrait on each denomination. Mintage 100,000.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2025 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2025 - 50th anniversary of the Australian Honours System. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|-
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 packaging.jpg|200px]]
|[[File:Australian UNC Set 2026 coins.jpg|200px]]
|2026 - 60 years of decimal currency. Mintage not yet confirmed.
|}

===== Special Editions =====
Beyond the standard year sets, the Mint has issued a number of special uncirculated editions. Limited edition sets released at the World Money Fair in Berlin between 2011 and 2020 came in custom-designed sleeves and typically had small mintages; these now command substantial premiums on the secondary market. The 2019 "Effigies Over Time" set carried a different portrait of the Queen from 1953 to 2019 on each of its six coins, and themed editions such as the 2023 "Creatures of the Deep" set have appeared alongside the annual issues.

Baby sets, in which all six coins carry playful baby-animal designs, have proved popular gift items. The 2023 Baby set brought together the baby coins created for the 2021 and 2022 editions. Two-coin year sets focusing on a single theme, such as the Australian Wool (2011), Wheat (2012) and Mining (2013) editions, offer a more affordable entry point into the uncirculated series.

===== Grading and Condition =====
Because they are handled carefully and sealed at the Mint, coins from intact year sets generally preserve their original lustre and represent the easiest way to acquire high-grade examples of each year's coinage. Collectors grading uncirculated coins look first for full, undisturbed mint lustre, then count and weigh the bag marks scattered across the fields and portrait, and finally assess the sharpness of the strike on high points such as the echidna's spines or the emu's feathers. Sealed sets should be stored cool, dry and upright, as plastic folders can mark coins over time - a phenomenon collectors describe as PVC damage - and toning, while sometimes attractive, is best kept even and unbroken. Coins removed from sets and submitted to grading services are typically awarded grades in the MS61 to MS65 range, with MS66 and above reserved for exceptional examples.

===== See Also =====
* [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Proof Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Not Intended for Circulation (NIFC) Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Bullion Coins]]
* [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)]]

Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins

2026-08-29T04:23:10Z

Admin:

Australian Decimal Uncirculated (UNC) Coins

2026-08-29T03:33:57Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ ===== Definition ===== An uncirculated (UNC) coin is one which has never been released into general circulation or used as currency - in the words of the Royal Australian Mint's own glossary, "a coin which has not been distributed or used as currency". In everyday collecting the term is used in two related ways. As a '''grade''', it describes any coin that shows no wear from handling, whether it came from a sealed mint set, an untouched mint roll or a lucky..."

Main Page

2026-08-29T02:45:56Z

Admin:

"Collecting is a form of madness. It's not a bad obsession. It's not a drug addiction. It's a good addiction. It keeps you out of trouble." - ''Jo Garfield''.

This website is for those who have the collecting bug and have an itch for information.

== Coins ==
* [[Australian Coins]]
** Pre-decimal (1910-1965)
** [[Australian Decimal Coins (1966 - present)|Decimal (1966 - Present)]]
*** [[Australian Decimal Circulated Coins|Circulated Coins]]
**** [[Australian one-cent coin|1 Cent]]
**** [[Australian two-cent coin|2 Cent]]
**** [[Australian five-cent coin|5 Cent]]
**** [[Australian ten-cent coin|10 Cent]]
**** [[Australian twenty-cent coin|20 Cent]]
**** [[Australian fifty-cent round coin|50 Cent Round]]
**** [[Australian fifty-cent coin|50 Cent]]
**** [[Australian one dollar coin|1 Dollar]]
**** [[Australian two dollar coin|2 Dollar]]

== Glossary ==
* [[Blakesley Effect]]
* [[Brockage]]
* [[Cud]]
* [[Die Crack]]
* [[Filled Die]]
* [[Lamination Error]]
* [[Off-Centre Strike]]

Australian two dollar coin

2026-08-29T02:26:44Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ === Production === The Australian two-dollar coin was first issued on 20 June 1988, replacing the two-dollar note, and is the highest-denomination circulating coin of the Australian dollar. It is also the smallest coin in circulation, a deliberate design choice that involved extensive consideration of size, thickness and security: the coin had to be easily distinguished from the five-cent piece by touch alone, which was achieved through its interrupted milli..."

__FORCETOC__
=== Production ===
The Australian two-dollar coin was first issued on 20 June 1988, replacing the two-dollar note, and is the highest-denomination circulating coin of the Australian dollar. It is also the smallest coin in circulation, a deliberate design choice that involved extensive consideration of size, thickness and security: the coin had to be easily distinguished from the five-cent piece by touch alone, which was achieved through its interrupted milling pattern and thicker planchet. The first year of issue saw a massive 160.9 million coins struck.

The reverse, designed by Horst Hahne of the Royal Australian Mint, depicts an Aboriginal elder and is one of Australian coinage's most recognised images. The design was based on drawings by artist Ainslie Roberts of Gwoja Tjungurrayi, a Warlpiri-Anmatyerre man of the Northern Territory also known as "One Pound Jimmy", who survived the 1928 Coniston massacre and became one of the most photographed Aboriginal Australians of his era. The reverse also incorporates the Southern Cross and a native grasstree. Coins dated 1988 and 1989 carry the designer's initials HH on the reverse; the initials were removed from the design from 1990 onwards.

Every two-dollar coin has been struck at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. The obverse began with Raphael Maklouf's effigy in 1988 (the denomination missed the Machin era entirely), moved to Ian Rank-Broadley in 1999 and Jody Clark in 2019, with the 2016 issue carrying the special decimal-currency anniversary obverse featuring a reproduction of the pre-decimal crown. The Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III entered circulation in 2024. Two-dollar coins are legal tender for amounts not exceeding $20. Since 2012 the denomination has also been the home of Australia's coloured circulating coin program, which began with the red poppy Remembrance coin.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Value'''
! align="center" |Mass
! align="center" |'''Diameter'''
! align="center" |'''Edge'''
!'''Composition'''
|-
| align="center" |$2.00 AUD
| align="center" |6.60 g
| align="center" |20.50 mm
| align="center" |Interrupted milled
| align="center" |92% copper 6% aluminium 2% nickel
|-
! align="center" |'''Obverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 2d RM Coin.jpg|51px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Raphael Maklouf
| colspan="2" align="center" |1988-1998
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 2d IBR Coin.jpg|51px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| colspan="2" align="center" |1999-2019
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 2d IBR50 Coin.jpg|51px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II and Reproduction of the 1937-1938 crown
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| colspan="2" align="center" |2016
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 2d JC Coin.jpg|51px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| colspan="2" align="center" |2019-2023
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 2d JCM Coin.jpg|51px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
Special Memorial
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| colspan="2" align="center" |2023
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 2d DT Coin.jpg|51px]]
| align="center" |Charles III
| align="center" |Dan Thorne
| colspan="2" align="center" |2024-Present
|-
! align="center" |'''Reverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian $2 Coin.png|51px]]
| align="center" |Aboriginal Elder, Southern Cross and grasstree
| align="center" |Horst Hahne
| colspan="2" align="center" |1988-Present
|-
|}

=== Mintage Figures ===
The two-dollar coin has been issued in every year since 1988 except 1991 (when the huge 1988-1990 issues made new coins unnecessary) and 2023. An average of about 22 million coins per year was produced between 1989 and 2008.
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1988
|1989
|1990
|1992
|1993
|1994
|1995
|1996
|1997
|1998
|1999
|2000
|2001
|2002
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|160.94
|31.64
|10.3
|15.5
|4.9
|22.1
|15.5
|13.9
|19.0
|8.7
|27.3
|5.7
|35.6
|29.7
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|2003
|2004
|2005
|2006
|2007
|2008
|2009
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|2016
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|13.7
|20.0
|45.5
|40.5
|26.0
|47.0
|74.5
|36.5
|1.8
|5.9
|35.1
|39.9
|22.0
|12.9
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|2016
|2017
|2018
|2019
|2019
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2024
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|2.881
|16.4
|14.6
|10.62
|2.03
|16.1
|13.9
|32.252
|5.202
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|RAM = Royal Australian Mint. Standard elder reverse only; coloured and other commemorative designs are additional to these figures.
|-
|1 = 50th Anniversary, 2 = IRB, 3 = JC, 4 = Reverse carries the designer's initials HH
|-
|No two-dollar coins were issued for circulation in 1991 or 2023.
|}

=== Commemorative Issues ===
For its first 24 years the two-dollar coin carried only the standard elder reverse. That changed in 2012 with the Remembrance coin, a poppy design with the words Lest We Forget, issued both plain (5.8 million) and with a red printed centre (0.5 million) - the first coloured circulating coin in Australia. The program has grown dramatically since: the 2013 coronation anniversary coin used purple print, the 2014 and 2015 ANZAC coins used green, red and orange, and the 2016 Rio Olympic and Paralympic coins were released through Woolworths supermarkets in five colour variations. Later programs have honoured themes as varied as Possum Magic, Mr Squiggle, Invictus Games, emergency services and Indigenous military service, with most issues carrying printed colour on the standard elder obverse.
These coins are all legal tender at face value, and their huntability - through change and supermarket releases - has introduced coin collecting to a new generation. For the collector, the challenge is less scarcity than completeness: the standard reverse coin of the same year is usually the scarcer item to find in change.

=== Mint Marks ===
All two-dollar coins have been struck at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra since the denomination's introduction in 1988, and no circulating two-dollar coin carries a mint mark. The one die change that affects attribution is the designer's initials: the initials HH appear on the reverse of 1988 and 1989 coins and were removed from 1990 onwards, giving collectors a clear three-year diagnostic for the earliest issues.

=== Varieties and Errors ===
==== Key Dates ====
The standout key date of the series is 2011, with a mintage of just 1.8 million coins - by far the lowest of the standard reverse issues and the first coin to chase when assembling a year set. Other low-mintage years include 1993 (4.9 million), 2000 (5.7 million), 2024 (5.202 million) and 2012 (5.9 million, the year the Remembrance coin made its debut).

==== The HH Initials (1988-1989) ====
The presence of Horst Hahne's initials on the 1988 and 1989 coins, and their absence from 1990 onwards, is the denomination's first design variety. Both dates are common in circulated condition, but the 1988 coin holds additional interest as the first year of the denomination, and pristine examples from the huge first-year mintage are increasingly sought after.

Australian one dollar coin

2026-08-29T02:23:25Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ === Production === The Australian one-dollar coin was first issued on 14 May 1984, replacing the one-dollar note, which had a far shorter circulatory life than a coin. Plans for a dollar coin had existed since the mid-1970s, and the changeover finally came with an enormous first-year mintage of 186.3 million coins, all struck at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. Stuart Devlin's reverse design of five kangaroos - familiarly known as the "mob of roos" - h..."

__FORCETOC__
=== Production ===
The Australian one-dollar coin was first issued on 14 May 1984, replacing the one-dollar note, which had a far shorter circulatory life than a coin. Plans for a dollar coin had existed since the mid-1970s, and the changeover finally came with an enormous first-year mintage of 186.3 million coins, all struck at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. Stuart Devlin's reverse design of five kangaroos - familiarly known as the "mob of roos" - has been the standard design of the denomination ever since.

The coin is struck in aluminium bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminium and 2% nickel), which gives it a distinctive golden colour and good resistance to wear. Its edge carries interrupted milling rather than the continuous reeding of the smaller denominations, a security feature that makes the coin easy to identify by touch and difficult to imitate with other coins. One-dollar coins are legal tender for amounts not exceeding ten times their face value.

The obverse has followed the familiar procession of effigies: Arnold Machin in 1984, Raphael Maklouf from 1985 to 1998, Ian Rank-Broadley from 1999 to 2019 (including the 2016 special obverse with its reproduction of the florin's Coat of Arms), and Jody Clark from 2019. In a piece of numismatic history, the one-dollar coin was the first Australian denomination to bear the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III, entering circulation on 1 December 2023.

The denomination's production record is patchwork: in several years no standard mob of roos coins were issued at all because a commemorative design served that year's demand, and in 1987, 1989 to 1992 and 2012 the denomination appeared only in mint and proof sets. The one-dollar coin is also the vehicle for several of the Mint's most successful programs, including the 2019 Dollar Discovery coins and the Donation Dollar initiative of 2020-2021, which encouraged the public to give the coins to charity.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Value'''
! align="center" |Mass
! align="center" |'''Diameter'''
! align="center" |'''Edge'''
!'''Composition'''
|-
| align="center" |$1.00 AUD
| align="center" |9.00 g
| align="center" |25.00 mm
| align="center" |Interrupted milled
| align="center" |92% copper 6% aluminium 2% nickel
|-
! align="center" |'''Obverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 1d AM Coin.jpg|63px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Arnold Machin
| colspan="2" align="center" |1984
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 1d RM Coin.jpg|63px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Raphael Maklouf
| colspan="2" align="center" |1985-1998
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 1d IBR Coin.jpg|63px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| colspan="2" align="center" |1999-2019
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 1d IBR50 Coin.jpg|63px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II and Reproduction of the florin Coat of Arms
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| colspan="2" align="center" |2016
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 1d JC Coin.jpg|63px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| colspan="2" align="center" |2019-2022
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 1d DT Coin.jpg|63px]]
| align="center" |Charles III
| align="center" |Dan Thorne
| colspan="2" align="center" |2023-Present
|-
! align="center" |'''Reverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian $1 Coin.png|63px]]
| align="center" |Five Kangaroos (Mob of Roos)
| align="center" |[[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]]
| colspan="2" align="center" |1984-Present
|-
|}

=== Mintage Figures ===
The tables below list circulation strikes of the standard mob of roos design. In many years only a commemorative design was issued (see Commemorative Issues below), and the denomination was issued only in mint and proof sets in 1987, 1989 to 1992 and 2012.
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1984
|1985
|1992
|1994
|1995
|1998
|2000
|2004
|2005
|2006
|2008
|2009
|2010
|2011
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|186.3
|96.2
|0.008
|47.6
|21.4
|16.2
|7.6
|8.8
|5.8
|38.9
|30.1
|21.2
|16.7
|17.9
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|2013
|2014
|2015
|2016
|2016
|2017
|2018
|2019
|2019
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2023
|2024
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|20.9
|1.052
|22.3
|30.2
|0.561
|11.1
|8.3
|10.72
|2.13
|6.4
|0.16
|6.151
|6.2094
|14.757
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|RAM = Royal Australian Mint. Standard mob of roos issues only.
|-
|1 = 50th Anniversary, 2 = IRB, 3 = JC, 4 = First year of the Charles III obverse
|-
|Years issued only in commemorative designs: 1986, 1988, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007. The 1992 mintage of 0.008 million (8,000 coins) was issued in mint sets only.
|}

=== Commemorative Issues ===
The one-dollar coin has carried a long program of circulating commemoratives since 1986, and in several years the commemorative issue was the only dollar coin released. The table below lists the principal circulating issues.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Commemorating
!Mintage (Mil)
|-
|1986
|International Year of Peace
|25.2
|-
|1988
|Australian Bicentenary
|21.6
|-
|1993
|Landcare Australia
|18.2
|-
|1996
|Centenary of the birth of Sir Henry Parkes
|26.6
|-
|1997
|Centenary of the birth of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith
|24.4
|-
|1999
|International Year of Older Persons
|29.3
|-
|2001
|Centenary of Federation
|27.9
|-
|2001
|International Year of Volunteers
|6.0
|-
|2002
|Year of the Outback
|35.4
|-
|2003
|Australia's Volunteers
|4.1
|-
|2003
|Centenary of Women's Suffrage
|10.0
|-
|2005
|60th Anniversary of the end of World War II
|34.2
|-
|2007
|Australia's hosting of APEC
|20.1
|-
|2008
|Centenary of Scouting in Australia
|17.2
|-
|2009
|100th Year of the Age Pension
|21.3
|-
|2010
|Centenary of Girl Guiding in Australia
|12.6
|-
|2011
|Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
|9.4
|-
|2014-2018
|Centenary of ANZAC series (five annual coins)
|21.9 (2014) to 1.4-2.19 annually
|-
|2016
|50th Anniversary of decimal currency (special obverse, standard reverse)
|0.56
|-
|2019
|Dollar Discovery - 35 years of the $1 coin (lettered A, U and S)
|about 1.5 each
|-
|2020
|Centenary of Qantas
|2.0
|-
|2020-2021
|Donation Dollar (standard design with green centre)
|12.5 and 12.9
|-
|}

=== Mint Marks ===
No one-dollar coin released for circulation has ever carried a mint mark, and every circulation dollar has been struck at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. A collector coin found with a mint mark or letter will have come from a carded or packaged release, not from circulation.

The closest the denomination came to a circulating letter variety is the 2019 Dollar Discovery program, which marked 35 years of the dollar coin with three versions carrying the letters A, U and S (spelling AUS) beside the mob of roos. Each version was released into circulation in similar quantities, so the three coins were intended to be found, swapped and collected rather than attributed to different mints.

=== Varieties and Errors ===
==== The 2000 $1 / 10c Mule ====
The most famous error in Australian decimal coinage is the 2000 one-dollar "mule". A small number of 2000 dollar coins were struck using the obverse die of a ten-cent coin - a die meant for a smaller coin - on the standard dollar planchet. The mismatched die produces an unmistakable look: the Queen's portrait and lettering are too small for the coin, leaving a double rim around the obverse.
Estimates of the number struck range from a few hundred to six thousand. Circulated examples have sold for $200-$300 and well-preserved examples for several thousand dollars, with the finest known pieces approaching $5,000 or more. The coins entered circulation in Canberra and Perth, and dedicated roll-searchers ("noodlers") have found dozens at a time in unopened bank rolls. Any 2000 dollar coin with a noticeably small portrait deserves close inspection.

==== Low Mintage Years ====
Several mob of roos issues are genuinely scarce in comparison with their neighbours. The 1992 coins were issued in mint sets only (8,000 coins), the 2014 issue saw just 1.052 million circulation strikes because the ANZAC commemorative dominated that year's production, and the 2021 issue is the modern key date with a mintage of just 0.16 million coins. The 2005 (5.8 million) and 2000 (7.6 million) issues are also among the scarcer circulation dollars.

Australian fifty-cent coin

2026-08-29T02:21:05Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ === Production === The Australian fifty-cent coin currently in circulation was introduced in 1969 as the replacement for the round silver fifty-cent coin of 1966. The new coin was struck in copper-nickel rather than silver, eliminating the bullion problem that had doomed its predecessor, and was given a distinctive dodecagonal (twelve-sided) shape so that it could not be confused with the round twenty-cent piece - a practical benefit for the sight-impaired a..."

__FORCETOC__
=== Production ===
The Australian fifty-cent coin currently in circulation was introduced in 1969 as the replacement for the round silver fifty-cent coin of 1966. The new coin was struck in copper-nickel rather than silver, eliminating the bullion problem that had doomed its predecessor, and was given a distinctive dodecagonal (twelve-sided) shape so that it could not be confused with the round twenty-cent piece - a practical benefit for the sight-impaired and anyone handling coins quickly. It remains the largest and heaviest coin in Australian circulation.

Stuart Devlin's Commonwealth Coat of Arms reverse has been the standard design since 1969, making it one of the longest-running designs in the decimal series. The obverse has featured five different portraits of Queen Elizabeth II - more than any other Australian decimal denomination - because the 2000 Royal Visit commemorative carried a unique effigy by Vladimir Gottwald, the only portrait of the Queen used on an Australian decimal coin that was designed by an Australian. Coins bearing the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III followed in 2024.

The fifty-cent piece is the great commemorative workhorse of Australian currency. Its generous size allows detailed designs, and it was the first decimal denomination to carry a circulating commemorative (the 1970 James Cook bicentenary coin). Since then more than thirty different designs have appeared, from the nine-coin Centenary of Federation series of 2001 to frequent one-off issues. Fifty-cent coins are legal tender for amounts not exceeding $5.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Value'''
! align="center" |Mass
! align="center" |'''Diameter'''
! align="center" |'''Edge'''
!'''Composition'''
|-
| align="center" |$0.50 AUD
| align="center" |15.55 g
| align="center" |31.65 mm (across flats)
| align="center" |Plain
| align="center" |75% copper 25% nickel
|-
! align="center" |'''Obverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50c AM Coin.jpg|79px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Arnold Machin
| colspan="2" align="center" |1969-1984
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50c RM Coin.jpg|79px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Raphael Maklouf
| colspan="2" align="center" |1985-1998
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50c IBR Coin.jpg|79px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| colspan="2" align="center" |1999-2015
2017-2019
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50c VG Coin.jpg|79px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
2000 Royal Visit commemorative
| align="center" |Vladimir Gottwald
| colspan="2" align="center" |2000
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50c IBR50 Coin.jpg|79px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II and Reproduction of the shilling ram
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| colspan="2" align="center" |2016
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50c JC Coin.jpg|79px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| colspan="2" align="center" |2019-2023
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50c JCM Coin.jpg|79px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
Special Memorial
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| colspan="2" align="center" |2023
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50c DT Coin.jpg|79px]]
| align="center" |Charles III
| align="center" |Dan Thorne
| colspan="2" align="center" |2024-Present
|-
! align="center" |'''Reverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50c Coin.png|79px]]
| align="center" |Commonwealth Coat of Arms
| align="center" |[[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]]
| colspan="2" align="center" |1969-Present
|-
|}

=== Mintage Figures ===
The tables below list circulation strikes of the standard Coat of Arms design. Many years were issued only in commemorative designs (see Commemorative Issues below), and no fifty-cent coins at all were produced in 1967, 1968, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992 or 2023.
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1969
|1971
|1972
|1973
|1974
|1975
|1976
|1978
|1979
|1980
|1981
|1983
|1984
|1985
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|14.0
|21.1
|5.6
|4.0
|9.0
|19.1
|27.3
|25.8
|24.9
|38.7
|24.1
|48.9
|26.3
|1.0
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1993
|1996
|1997
|1999
|2006
|2007
|2008
|2009
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|2016
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|1.0
|19.3
|4.3
|20.3
|59.3
|19.9
|33.0
|19.0
|14.4
|17.6
|18.8
|17.7
|19.4
|25.5
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|2016
|2017
|2018
|2019
|2019
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2024
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|7.01
|8.2
|5.4
|1.12
|2.03
|1.1
|11.9
|22.73
|6.48
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|RAM = Royal Australian Mint. Standard Coat of Arms issues only.
|-
|1 = 50th Anniversary, 2 = IRB, 3 = JC
|-
|Years issued only in commemorative designs: 1970, 1977, 1982, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2010.
|}

=== Commemorative Issues ===
The fifty-cent coin has carried more circulating commemorative designs than any other Australian denomination. The table below summarises the circulating commemorative issues; the large 2001 Centenary of Federation program comprised a national coin plus one coin for each state and territory.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Commemorating
!Mintage (Mil)
|-
|1970
|Bicentenary of James Cook's 1770 voyage
|16.5
|-
|1977
|Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
|25.0
|-
|1981
|Marriage of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer (struck at Llantrisant)
|20.0
|-
|1982
|Brisbane XII Commonwealth Games
|49.6
|-
|1988
|Australian Bicentenary
|9.0
|-
|1991
|25th Anniversary of decimal currency (reworked shilling ram design)
|4.7
|-
|1994
|United Nations International Year of the Family
|21.3
|-
|1995
|50th Anniversary of the end of World War II (Weary Dunlop)
|15.9
|-
|1998
|200th Anniversary of the voyage of Bass and Flinders
|22.4
|-
|2000
|Millennium
|16.6
|-
|2000
|Royal Visit of Queen Elizabeth II (unique Gottwald obverse)
|5.1
|-
|2001
|Centenary of Federation (nine coins: national issue plus states and territories)
|43.1 national; 2.0-3.0 each state
|-
|2002
|Year of the Outback
|11.5
|-
|2003
|Australia's Volunteers
|13.9
|-
|2004
|Primary school design competition winner (John Serrano)
|10.2
|-
|2005
|60th Anniversary of the end of World War II
|26.6
|-
|2005
|Commonwealth Games student design competition winner (Kelly Just)
|20.5
|-
|2010
|Australia Day
|11.4
|-
|2014
|50th Anniversary of AIATSIS
|3.0
|-
|2016
|50th Anniversary of decimal currency (special obverse, standard reverse)
|7.0
|-
|2017
|50th Anniversary of the 1967 Referendum / 25th Anniversary of the Mabo decision
|1.4
|-
|2019
|International Year of Indigenous Languages
|2.0
|-
|2024
|50th Anniversary of NAIDOC
|2.31
|-
|}

=== Mint Marks ===
Every standard Coat of Arms fifty-cent coin has been struck at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, and none carries a mint mark. The single mint attribution of interest involves the 1981 commemorative marking the marriage of the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer: the Royal Australian Mint's own 1981 demands were heavy, and the 20 million commemorative coins were struck at the Royal Mint's Llantrisant facility in Wales. These coins carry no mint mark either, so the distinction is one of production history rather than something visible on the coin itself.

=== Varieties and Errors ===
==== Key Dates ====
Two circulation years stand out as the key dates of the series: 1985 and 1993, each with a mintage of only about one million coins. Both trade at strong premiums in circulated grades and are the first coins a collector assembling a year set should secure. The 1997 (4.3 million), 1973 (4.0 million) and 1974 (9.0 million) issues are the next scarcest standard coins. More recent low-mintage years include 2019 and 2020, with the 2019 issue split between the final Rank-Broadley strikes (1.1 million) and the first Jody Clark strikes (2.0 million).

==== The 2000 Gottwald Obverse ====
The 2000 Royal Visit commemorative is a necessary entry in every effigy collection: its obverse, by Vladimir Gottwald, is the only Australian decimal coin portrait of the Queen designed by an Australian, and the only one not shared with British coinage. With a mintage of 5.1 million, the coin remains affordable, but it is the single most important obverse variety in the decimal series.

Australian fifty-cent round coin

2026-08-29T02:18:00Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ === Production === The Australian round fifty-cent coin was introduced with decimal currency on 14 February 1966 and was struck for that year only. It holds a unique place in Australian decimal coinage: it is the only round fifty-cent coin, the only decimal circulation coin struck in silver (80% silver and 20% copper), and the only issue of the new currency that did not survive the decade. The reverse carried Stuart Devlin's Commonwealth Coat of Arms design,..."

__FORCETOC__
=== Production ===
The Australian round fifty-cent coin was introduced with decimal currency on 14 February 1966 and was struck for that year only. It holds a unique place in Australian decimal coinage: it is the only round fifty-cent coin, the only decimal circulation coin struck in silver (80% silver and 20% copper), and the only issue of the new currency that did not survive the decade. The reverse carried Stuart Devlin's Commonwealth Coat of Arms design, while the obverse bore Arnold Machin's effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

The coin's downfall was its precious metal content. After the silver price was freed and began rising sharply in the late 1960s, the bullion value of the coin's 10.6 grams of fine silver (approximately 0.34 troy ounces) exceeded its fifty-cent face value. Speculators and melters hoarded the coin out of circulation, and the public found its round shape too easily confused with the twenty-cent piece. The Fraser government approved a replacement, and in 1969 a new dodecagonal fifty-cent coin in copper-nickel was introduced, ending the round coin's production after a single year.

Despite its withdrawal, the round fifty-cent coin has never been demonetised and remains legal tender for amounts not exceeding $5. Because so many were melted for their silver, circulated examples trade comfortably above their face value even in modest grades, with value driven by both silver content and collector demand. Mint-state examples, particularly those with full lustre and attractive toning, command substantial premiums.

All 1966 round fifty-cent coins were struck at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. No mint marks appear on the coin.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Value'''
! align="center" |Mass
! align="center" |'''Diameter'''
! align="center" |'''Edge'''
!'''Composition'''
|-
| align="center" |$0.50 AUD
| align="center" |13.28 g
| align="center" |31.65 mm
| align="center" |Milled
| align="center" |80% silver 20% copper
|-
! align="center" |'''Obverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50cr AM Coin.jpg|79px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Arnold Machin
| colspan="2" align="center" |1966
|-
! align="center" |'''Reverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 50cr Coin.jpg|79px]]
| align="center" |Commonwealth Coat of Arms
| align="center" |[[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]]
| colspan="2" align="center" |1966
|-
|}

=== Mintage Figures ===
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1966
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|36.5
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|RAM = Royal Australian Mint. The Royal Australian Mint reports a figure of 36.5 million; some catalogues cite 36,270,000. Large numbers were melted after the coin's withdrawal, so surviving examples are considerably scarcer than the mintage suggests.
|}

=== Mint Marks ===
All round fifty-cent coins were struck at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, and no mint marks or distinguishing varieties between dies have been documented for the circulation issue. This simplicity is welcome for collectors: any genuine 1966 round fifty-cent piece originated from a single mint and a single production run, so condition and authenticity, rather than die attribution, determine value.

Because the coin carries a silver value above its face value, underweight or base-metal counterfeits do appear from time to time. Collectors should verify weight (13.28 grams), diameter (31.65 millimetres), and the soft grey lustre characteristic of 80% fine silver. A coin that is significantly underweight, or which shows a brassy or steel-like colour, should be treated with suspicion.

=== Varieties and Errors ===
No significant die varieties have been widely documented for the 1966 round fifty-cent circulation coin. Genuine mint errors of the usual types (off-centre strikes, brockages, lamination flaws and clipped planchets) do exist for the issue and attract strong interest from error collectors, precisely because the parent coin itself carries a silver premium.

The coin's great collecting stories instead concern survival. Since 1966 the round fifty-cent has been hoarded, melted and traded as bullion through every silver price cycle, and each cycle removed more examples from the pool. Finding one in change today is increasingly uncommon, and many collections regard a well-preserved 1966 round fifty-cent as an essential anchor for any decimal type set. For further detail on the coin's replacement, see [[Australian fifty-cent coin|Australian fifty-cent coin (1969 - present)]].

Australian twenty-cent coin

2026-08-29T02:13:39Z

Admin: Created page with "__FORCETOC__ === Production === The Australian twenty-cent coin was first introduced with the transition to decimal currency on 14 February 1966. It replaced the florin, which had been worth two shillings under the old pounds, shillings and pence system, and the two coins share a close physical resemblance. Stuart Devlin's platypus reverse has remained the standard design on the twenty-cent piece for the entire life of the denomination, making it one of the most enduring..."

__FORCETOC__
=== Production ===
The Australian twenty-cent coin was first introduced with the transition to decimal currency on 14 February 1966. It replaced the florin, which had been worth two shillings under the old pounds, shillings and pence system, and the two coins share a close physical resemblance. Stuart Devlin's platypus reverse has remained the standard design on the twenty-cent piece for the entire life of the denomination, making it one of the most enduring images in Australian coinage.

While the reverse design has stayed constant, the obverse has evolved with the reigns and effigies of the monarch. As with the other decimal denominations, the 2016 issue carried a special commemorative obverse celebrating the 50th anniversary of decimal currency. On the twenty-cent coin this obverse, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley, featured a reduced effigy of Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by a reproduction of the Coat of Arms as it appeared on the pre-decimal sixpence, together with the added legend FIFTY YEARS. Coins bearing the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III followed in 2024.

Initial 1966 production was shared between two mints, with the Royal Mint in London striking 30.0 million coins and the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra striking a further 28.2 million. In 1981, demand for twenty-cent coins exceeded the Canberra mint's capacity, so production was also contracted to the Royal Canadian Mint (50.0 million) and the Royal Mint at Llantrisant, Wales (50.0 million). Apart from these two years, all circulation twenty-cent coins have been struck at the Royal Australian Mint.

Twenty-cent coins are legal tender for amounts not exceeding $5. No twenty-cent coins were produced for circulation in 1986, 1987, 1989 to 1993 or 2023, and the coins struck for 1983 and 1984 were never released, with most later resmelted by the Mint. In 2022, the production cost of a twenty-cent coin exceeded its face value for the first time.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Value'''
! align="center" |Mass
! align="center" |'''Diameter'''
! align="center" |'''Edge'''
!'''Composition'''
|-
| align="center" |$0.20 AUD
| align="center" |11.3 g
| align="center" |28.65 mm
| align="center" |Milled
| align="center" |75% copper 25% nickel
|-
! align="center" |'''Obverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 20c AM Coin.jpg|72px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Arnold Machin
| colspan="2" align="center" |1966-1984
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 20c RM Coin.jpg|72px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Raphael Maklouf
| colspan="2" align="center" |1985-1998
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 20c IBR Coin.jpg|72px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| colspan="2" align="center" |1999-2015
2017-2019
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 20c IBR50 Coin.jpg|72px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II and Reproduction of the sixpence Coat of Arms
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| colspan="2" align="center" |2016
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 20c JC Coin.jpg|72px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| colspan="2" align="center" |2019-2023
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 20c JCM Coin.jpg|72px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
Special Memorial
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| colspan="2" align="center" |2023
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 20c DT Coin.jpg|72px]]
| align="center" |Charles III
| align="center" |Dan Thorne
| colspan="2" align="center" |2024-Present
|-
! align="center" |'''Reverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 20c Coin.png|72px]]
| align="center" |Platypus
| align="center" |[[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]]
| colspan="2" align="center" |1966-Present
|-
|}

=== Mintage Figures ===
The tables below list circulation strikes of the standard platypus design. Years in which only commemorative designs were issued (1995 and 2003), or in which no coins were struck, are omitted; see Commemorative Issues below for those designs.
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1966
|1966
|1967
|1968
|1969
|1970
|1971
|1972
|1973
|1974
|1975
|1976
|1977
|1978
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|30.0
|28.2
|83.8
|40.5
|16.5
|23.7
|8.9
|16.6
|23.4
|33.5
|53.3
|59.8
|41.3
|37.4
|-
!Mint
|RML
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1979
|1980
|1981
|1981
|1981
|1982
|1983
|1984
|1985
|1988
|1994
|1996
|1997
|1998
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|22.3
|84.4
|65.5
|50.0
|50.0
|76.6
|55.14
|27.84
|2.7
|0.2
|14.3
|20.6
|16.7
|28.8
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RCM
|RMLL
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1999
|2000
|2001
|2002
|2004
|2005
|2006
|2007
|2008
|2009
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|64.2
|35.6
|82.0
|27.2
|72.1
|58.6
|102.3
|42.7
|132.9
|43.6
|59.9
|15.1
|34.6
|43.9
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|2014
|2015
|2016
|2016
|2017
|2018
|2019
|2019
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2024
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|55.91
|24.4
|34.4
|4.51
|29.8
|22.2
|26.62
|2.03
|33.5
|38.4
|72.94
|9.886
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+
|RAM = Royal Australian Mint; RCM = Royal Canadian Mint; RML = Royal Mint, London; RMLL = Royal Mint, Llantrisant
|-
|1 = 50th Anniversary, 2 = IRB, 3 = JC, 4 = Struck for circulation but never issued; most were resmelted
|-
|No coins were produced in 1986, 1987, 1989-1993 or 2023. No standard platypus coins were issued in 1995 or 2003 (commemorative designs only).
|}

=== Commemorative Issues ===
The twenty-cent coin was a relative latecomer to circulating commemoratives: the 1995 United Nations coin was the first commemorative twenty-cent issue released into circulation. Since then the denomination has carried a steady stream of special designs, with the 2001 Centenary of Federation series of nine student-designed coins (one for each state and territory plus Norfolk Island) being the largest single program.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
!Year
!Commemorating
!Mintage (Mil)
|-
|1995
|50th Anniversary of the United Nations
|4.8
|-
|2001
|Centenary of Federation - student designs (nine coins)
|2.1-3.2 each
|-
|2001
|Sir Donald Bradman (1908-2001)
|10.0
|-
|2003
|Australia's Volunteers
|7.6
|-
|2005
|60th Anniversary of the end of World War II
|33.5
|-
|2010
|Centenary of the Australian Taxation Office
|11.6
|-
|2011
|Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton
|10.1
|-
|2011
|Centenary of International Women's Day
|6.8
|-
|2011
|10th Anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers (IYV +10)
|6.1
|-
|2013
|Centenary of Canberra
|6.2
|-
|2016
|50th Anniversary of decimal currency (special obverse, standard reverse)
|4.5
|-
|}

=== Mint Marks ===
The 1966 twenty-cent coin was struck at two mints: the Royal Mint in London (30.0 million) and the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra (28.2 million). Unlike the 1966 five-cent and ten-cent coins, no single widely accepted diagnostic feature separates the two mints at a glance, although the famous wavy baseline variety (see Varieties and Errors below) is associated with the London production run. Collectors attributing individual 1966 coins should exercise care before assigning a mint.

The most interesting minting year for this denomination is 1981, when demand exceeded Canberra's capacity and coins were also struck at the Royal Canadian Mint and the Royal Mint, Llantrisant. The Canadian strikes are distinctive to attentive collectors and cash handlers: the top and bottom edges of the milling are rounded over rather than squared as on the Australian and London coins, and even well-worn examples retain unusually shiny fields. Some Canadian coins also show a shortened first toe on the platypus's right claw, a variety known to collectors as the "3 1/2 claw". No mint marks appear on any of the 1981 coins.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |RAM / RMLL (squared milling)
! align="center" |RCM (rounded milling)
|-
| align="center" |[[File:MintMark20cram.jpg|200px]]
| align="center" |[[File:MintMark20crcm.jpg|200px]]
|-
|RAM and Llantrisant coins: squared milling edges and dulled fields with wear.
|RCM coins: rounded milling edges and shiny fields even when worn.
|}

=== Varieties and Errors ===
==== 1966 Wavy Baseline ====
The wavy baseline is the most celebrated variety of the decimal twenty-cent coin and one of Australia's rarest circulating decimal varieties. It is identified by a wave on the top of the bottom stroke of the "2" in "20" on the reverse. The variety occurs within the 30 million coins struck at the Royal Mint in London in 1966, and only a small number of dies carried the defect.
Well-worn examples found in change are typically worth $100 or more, while high-grade examples have sold for several thousand dollars. The variety is easy to miss: the wave is small, and the coin must be examined closely under good light. Genuine examples should show the wave integral to the stroke of the 2, not added by damage or tampering.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |Normal baseline
! align="center" |Wavy baseline
|-
| align="center" |[[File:196620cnormal.jpg|200px]]
| align="center" |[[File:196620cwavy.jpg|200px]]
|-
|Standard 1966 reverse: the bottom stroke of the 2 is straight.
|Wavy baseline: a wave ripples through the bottom stroke of the 2.
|}

==== 1999-2005 Obverse Variations ====
Several variations of the Rank-Broadley obverse have been identified by collectors. The 1999 issue is found with thicker lettering, while the 2000 to 2003 issues show lettering very slightly reduced in size. The 2004 coin appears in two forms: a "small head", with the portrait reduced all around and thicker lettering, which was issued into general circulation, and a "large head" identical to the 2000-2003 obverse, which was only available in mint packs and is rarely found in circulation. Non-commemorative issues from 2005 onwards reverted to the large head obverse, while the 2005 World War II commemorative carried an even larger head.

==== 1981 "3 1/2 Claw" ====
A subset of the Canadian-struck 1981 coins shows a shortened first toe on the platypus's right claw, described by collectors as the "3 1/2 claw" variety. Combined with the distinctive rounded milling and lustrous fields of the Canadian strikes, this variety adds a further level of attribution for collectors of the 1981 issue.

Filled Die

2026-08-28T06:18:57Z

Admin: A filled die error is the ghosting or disappearance of design elements blocked by debris in the die, and its blank-but-undamaged surfaces make it a subtle, affordable and surprisingly common entry point into error collecting.

==== Filled Die ====
A filled die error occurs when grease, oil, dirt or debris lodges in the recessed engraving of a coinage die, preventing metal from flowing fully into parts of the design. The resulting coin is struck with missing or partially missing letters, numerals or design elements. Filled die errors are common on high-volume circulation coinage and range from barely noticeable to strikingly incomplete.

==== Explanation ====
The design on a coin is formed by recessed elements cut into the die: letters, digits and devices are engraved below the die face, and the coin's metal is driven into them under pressure. Coinage presses are lubricated to survive hundreds of strikes per minute, and that lubricant, mixed with dust and metal particles, can collect in these recesses - most often in shallow, isolated elements such as digits and letters. Wherever the filling sits, the planchet metal cannot enter, and the corresponding part of the design is left blank or ghosted. Because the obstruction can shift or be dislodged, the same die may produce a sequence of coins with errors that fade, move or vanish.

==== Identification ====
The hallmark is selective absence: individual letters, the date, or a small design feature is missing or weak, while the remainder of the coin is sharply struck. Missing dates are the most sought-after form, followed by missing denomination legends. The missing elements are simply flat, blank fields - there is no damage, no incuse marking and no displaced metal. This distinguishes a filled die from a worn die (uniform softness across the whole design), from a polished or abraded coin (post-mint surface loss), and from an altered coin (tooling marks).

==== Example ====
A typical Australian example is a ten-cent coin on which the date reads 19_4 because one digit failed to strike, or a five-cent piece missing the letters of AUSTRALIA at the top of the reverse. Occasionally a coin shows several letters of a legend drifting out one by one across successive strikes from the same die, allowing collectors to assemble a disappearance sequence.

==== Important Considerations ====
* Severity: Value depends on how much is missing - a coin lacking its entire date or denomination is significant; a soft letter or two is a curiosity.
* Consistency: Because the fill can move, no two filled-die coins from the same die are identical; this irregularity actually supports authenticity.
* Authentication: The blank areas must show undisturbed original surface. Elements removed by polishing, grinding or acid will leave traces that close inspection reveals.

In summary, a filled die error is the ghosting or disappearance of design elements blocked by debris in the die, and its blank-but-undamaged surfaces make it a subtle, affordable and surprisingly common entry point into error collecting.

Cud

2026-08-28T06:16:56Z

Admin: A cud is the coin's record of a piece of its die having broken away, and the solid, rim-connected blob it leaves behind is both a dramatic sight in change and one of the most easily authenticated errors in numismatics.

==== Cud ====
A cud is a raised, rounded blob of metal on a struck coin, formed when a fragment breaks away from the edge of a die and the coin's metal flows into the resulting void. It is the end stage of die deterioration, following on from die cracks, and is one of the most unmistakable mint errors. Cuds are sometimes described as die breaks, with the term cud traditionally reserved for a break that reaches the rim of the die.

==== Explanation ====
As a cracked die continues in service, the crack can widen until a piece of the die face - almost always at the rim, where the steel is most stressed - breaks away entirely. The missing chunk leaves a cavity in the die. When the next planchet is struck, metal is forced into that cavity exactly as it is forced into the design, producing a raised, bulbous lump on the coin at the position of the missing die fragment. Because the broken piece often remains partially attached and shifts between strikes, early cuds may appear irregular or intermittently present, hardening into a consistent shape as the die settles into its damaged state.

==== Identification ====
The classic cud appears as a smooth, raised blob connected to the rim, often partially obliterating adjacent letters or design elements. Unlike an incuse dent or added material, the cud is solid struck metal continuous with the coin's surface, and it will show the same wear and lustre as the surrounding fields. Repetition across multiple coins from the same die confirms the diagnosis. A "retained cud" - where the broken die fragment stays loosely in place - produces a raised area bordered by a crack line, an intermediate form prized by error specialists.

==== Example ====
An Australian example might be a five-cent coin on which a cud obliterates part of the legend ELIZABETH II at the rim, or a ten-cent piece carrying a large blob at eleven o'clock swallowing the first letters of AUSTRALIA. Major cuds on the portrait side are generally more sought after than equivalent reverse cuds.

==== Important Considerations ====
* Size: Value rises sharply with the size of the cud; a cud spanning a third of the rim is a major error.
* Rim connection: A true cud touches the rim; a raised lump wholly within the design is more likely a die chip or lump and is described differently.
* Authentication: Genuine cuds are integral struck metal. Any blob that appears soldered, glued or cast on - or which breaks the coin's own surface patina - is alteration, not error.

In summary, a cud is the coin's record of a piece of its die having broken away, and the solid, rim-connected blob it leaves behind is both a dramatic sight in change and one of the most easily authenticated errors in numismatics.

Die Crack

2026-08-28T06:00:02Z

Admin: A die crack records the failure of the die rather than the coin, and its raised, repeating lines - often traceable across many specimens - make it a fascinating window into the minting process itself.

==== Die Crack ====
A die crack is a raised line appearing on the struck coin, formed when the hardened steel die itself develops a crack and coin metal flows into that crack during striking. Die cracks are the earliest and most common stage of die deterioration, and serious collectors study their positions and progression as a way of tracking the working life of individual dies.

==== Explanation ====
Coinage dies are subjected to enormous, repeated pressures - often hundreds of tonnes per strike - and after tens or hundreds of thousands of strikes, fatigue can open fine cracks in the die face. Because the crack is a gap in the steel, metal from each planchet is forced into it under striking pressure, emerging as a raised fin or line on the coin. As the die continues in service the crack lengthens and widens, so successive coins show a developing crack pattern. If the crack widens into an actual chip of steel breaking away at the die's edge, the raised blob known as a cud forms (see the Cud entry in this glossary).

==== Identification ====
A die crack appears as a raised line of metal integral to the coin's surface, often following an irregular path across the design. It may be hairline-thin or broad and irregular, sometimes accompanied by raised roughness where the crack branches. The crucial diagnostic is repetition: coins struck from the same die show the same crack in the same position, and crack patterns that grow from coin to coin. This distinguishes die cracks from scratches (incuse, random), from lamination (surface flaking independent of the design), and from damage (which interrupts rather than follows the struck relief).

==== Example ====
On Australian decimal coins, die cracks are frequently seen radiating across the platypus on well-used twenty-cent dies or through the lettering of older five-cent issues. Error collectors often seek a progression set: a coin with a short crack, a later coin with the crack fully crossing the field, and the eventual cud from the same die.

==== Important Considerations ====
* Progression: Die cracks grow with use, so documenting their stages can attribute coins to a particular die and period.
* Value: Minor cracks add little value, but dramatic cracks - long, branched, or connecting design elements - and crack progressions are collected.
* Integrity: A genuine die crack is raised metal firmly attached to the surface; a line that can be felt as a scratch, or which shows displaced metal, is post-mint damage.

In summary, a die crack records the failure of the die rather than the coin, and its raised, repeating lines - often traceable across many specimens - make it a fascinating window into the minting process itself.

Lamination Error

2026-08-28T05:57:16Z

Admin: A lamination error is the shedding of a coin's own surface along impurity boundaries in the alloy, and its peeling flakes, craters and split halves distinguish it from die-related errors on the same coin's surface.

==== Lamination Error ====
A lamination error is a flaw in the coin's metal itself, in which part of the surface flakes, peels or breaks away after striking. It originates in the planchet rather than the dies or the press, and appears as cracks, blisters, peeling slivers or small crater-like voids in the coin's surface. Lamination errors are also known as split planchets when the coin separates into layers.

==== Explanation ====
Coinage alloys must be homogeneous - the metals fully and evenly mixed - for the planchet to flow smoothly under striking pressure and hold together in circulation. If the alloy melt was poorly mixed, or if impurities such as hydrogen or foreign metal inclusions became trapped in the strip from which planchets are blanked, weak boundaries form within the metal. Striking pressure and subsequent metal fatigue cause the surface layers to separate along these boundaries. Because the flaw is in the raw strip, lamination errors often run in batches when a bad batch of alloy was used.

==== Identification ====
Look for raised or sunken cracks that follow the surface, thin peeling flakes of metal still attached at one edge, or cleanly missing areas that expose a rougher inner layer of alloy. A fully split planchet shows two thin halves, each with a granular fracture surface, and weighs roughly half of a normal coin. Lamination flaws frequently occur away from the design's high points and may cross the design without regard to it - a useful distinction from die cracks, which appear as raised lines in consistent positions on many coins from the same die.

==== Example ====
On Australian decimal coins, lamination errors most often affect the copper-nickel denominations, appearing as a shallow peeling patch on an otherwise ordinary five, ten or twenty-cent piece. A two-cent or pre-decimal bronze coin with a greenish or scaly surface may indicate corroded impurities rather than true lamination, so composition and colour should always be assessed together.

==== Important Considerations ====
* Cause: Lamination is a planchet flaw, not die damage - one coin shows it, while coins from the same dies do not.
* Weight: A split or laminated coin weighs less than standard; a significant weight deficit supports authenticity.
* Value: Small laminations add modest interest, but a complete split planchet or a large detached lamination is a significant and valuable error.
* Confusion: Do not confuse lamination with post-mint corrosion, plating damage on altered coins, or the deliberate peeling of metal to simulate an error.

In summary, a lamination error is the shedding of a coin's own surface along impurity boundaries in the alloy, and its peeling flakes, craters and split halves distinguish it from die-related errors on the same coin's surface.

Off-Centre Strike

2026-08-28T05:51:44Z

Admin: Created page with "==== Off-Centre Strike ==== An off-centre strike (or off-centre error) occurs when a planchet is not properly centred between the dies at the moment of striking. The design is impressed onto only part of the planchet, leaving a crescent of blank metal, and the coin emerges with part of its intended design missing. Off-centre strikes are among the most common and popular mint errors collected in Australia. ==== Explanation ==== Coinage dies are designed to strike a planc..."

==== Off-Centre Strike ====
An off-centre strike (or off-centre error) occurs when a planchet is not properly centred between the dies at the moment of striking. The design is impressed onto only part of the planchet, leaving a crescent of blank metal, and the coin emerges with part of its intended design missing. Off-centre strikes are among the most common and popular mint errors collected in Australia.

==== Explanation ====
Coinage dies are designed to strike a planchet that is held centrally by a retaining collar. If the planchet is fed into the press slightly astray - a mishap that becomes more likely as feed mechanisms run at several hundred strikes per minute - the dies close on it off target. The overlapping portion receives the design, while the unsupported crescent is simply squeezed flat, often showing a thin, stretched edge called the "blanks ear". The percentage of the design missing is conventionally used to describe the error: a "20 per cent off-centre" coin is missing a fifth of its design.

==== Identification ====
The unmistakable signature is the blank crescent of unstruck metal combined with a truncated design on the rest of the coin. The date and legends are often incomplete or absent, so attribution may depend on the denomination, metal and portrait visible. The planchet rim on the unstruck area is usually smooth and unworn, which distinguishes a genuine off-centre strike from a damaged coin that has been ground or cut down after leaving the mint.

==== Example ====
A typical Australian example is a five-cent or ten-cent coin struck perhaps 30 per cent off-centre, showing a partial echidna or lyrebird and a partial portrait, with a broad blank crescent opposite. Because small denominations are struck in enormous quantities, minor off-centre strikes of 5-10 per cent turn up in change with some regularity; dramatic misses of 50 per cent or more are far scarcer.

==== Important Considerations ====
* Degree: Collectors value off-centre strikes by how far off-centre they are - a 50 per cent or greater miss is a significant error, while a 5-10 per cent miss is modest.
* Completeness of date: An error that retains its full date and denomination is more desirable than one on which these details are lost.
* Authentication: The blank crescent must show original mint surface with no file marks, re-engraving or post-strike alteration.

In summary, an off-centre strike is the product of a mis-fed planchet caught only partially between the dies, and its combination of truncated design and virgin blank crescent makes it both easy to recognise and highly collectible.

Main Page

2026-08-28T05:50:34Z

Admin: /* Glossary */

Main Page

2026-08-28T05:46:34Z

Admin: /* Glossary */

Brockage

2026-08-28T05:44:40Z

Admin: Created page with "==== Brockage ==== A brockage is a striking error in which a previously struck coin fails to eject from the die and acts as a die itself against the next planchet fed into the press. The result is a coin with one normal face and one face bearing a mirrored, incuse (sunken) version of the stuck coin's design. Brockages are among the most visually dramatic and readily identified mint errors. ==== Explanation ==== In a high-speed coinage press, the dies strike each planche..."

==== Brockage ====
A brockage is a striking error in which a previously struck coin fails to eject from the die and acts as a die itself against the next planchet fed into the press. The result is a coin with one normal face and one face bearing a mirrored, incuse (sunken) version of the stuck coin's design. Brockages are among the most visually dramatic and readily identified mint errors.

==== Explanation ====
In a high-speed coinage press, the dies strike each planchet and the finished coin is ejected. Occasionally a struck coin adheres to one die, usually the obverse. When the next planchet is fed in, it is struck simultaneously by the normal opposite die and by the face of the retained coin. The new coin therefore receives a correct impression from one die and a negative, mirror-image transfer of the retained coin from the other. If the stuck coin remains in place for many strikes it can deform into a "cap", producing capped die strikes and progressively shallower brockages.

==== Identification ====
The key diagnostic is the mirror relationship between the two faces: the error side shows the same design that appears on the coin's normal side, but incuse and reversed left-to-right. A full brockage shows the complete design; an offset or partial brockage shows only part of it, depending on how the planchet was positioned. The error face is often weakly detailed or enlarged, because the retained coin is slightly larger than the die face it substitutes for.

==== Example ====
On an Australian decimal coin, a typical brockage shows the standard obverse portrait on one side and a blurred, incuse mirror of the Queen's (or King's) portrait on the other. Related errors include the brockage of a brockage, where the error coin itself becomes stuck, and uniface strikes, where one die fails to strike at all.

==== Important Considerations ====
* Type: Full brockages command the strongest premiums; partial and off-centre brockages are more affordable entry points.
* Authentication: A genuine brockage is integral to the strike. Any incuse design that appears scratched, pressed, or added after striking (for example by an engine-turned lathe) should be treated as tampering.
* Condition: Because the press was malfunctioning, brockages often show weakness, doubling or metal flow consistent with an abnormal strike - their presence supports authenticity.

In summary, a brockage is the mirrored impression of one coin transferred onto another by a stuck coin in the press, and its unmistakable incuse mirror image makes it one of the most collectible and easily verified of all mint errors.

Main Page

2026-08-28T05:41:49Z

Admin: /* Glossary */

Main Page

2026-08-28T05:41:02Z

Admin: /* Glossary */

Blakesley Effect

2024-06-25T13:25:03Z

Admin:

==== The Blakesley Effect ====
Named after the American numismatist who first identified it, is a key indicator for authenticating a genuine clipped planchet error in coins. This effect is characterized by a noticeable weakness in the rim directly opposite the missing portion of a clipped planchet.

==== Explanation ====
The Blakesley Effect occurs due to the rimming process used to form coin planchets. During this process, a blank coin is rolled along its edge under high pressure between a roller and a fixed edge, which raises the rim of the coin. However, when the blank is incomplete—meaning it has a clipped portion—the pressure is relieved as the missing segment passes through the rimming machinery. As a result, the rim opposite the clipped area remains weak or unformed.

==== Identification ====
When such an incomplete planchet is struck to create a coin, the area opposite the clipped region will typically show a weakly struck rim. This is due to the absence of the raised rim, which would otherwise help in forming a well-defined edge during the striking process.

==== Example ====
A clear demonstration of the Blakesley Effect can be seen in coins that have gone through the rimming process and exhibit this characteristic weakness. This effect serves as a powerful tool for numismatists to identify genuine clipped planchet errors, distinguishing them from other types of coin damage or errors.

==== Important Considerations ====
* Rimming Process: The Blakesley Effect only occurs in coins that have undergone the rimming process.

* Authentication: This effect is one of the most reliable indicators for identifying authentic clipped planchet errors.

In summary, the Blakesley Effect is an essential concept in numismatics for the identification of genuine clipped planchet errors, providing insight into the coin minting process and the nature of specific coin errors.

Blakesley Effect

2024-06-25T13:24:13Z

Admin:

=== The Blakesley Effect ===
Named after the American numismatist who first identified it, is a key indicator for authenticating a genuine clipped planchet error in coins. This effect is characterized by a noticeable weakness in the rim directly opposite the missing portion of a clipped planchet.

=== Explanation ===
The Blakesley Effect occurs due to the rimming process used to form coin planchets. During this process, a blank coin is rolled along its edge under high pressure between a roller and a fixed edge, which raises the rim of the coin. However, when the blank is incomplete—meaning it has a clipped portion—the pressure is relieved as the missing segment passes through the rimming machinery. As a result, the rim opposite the clipped area remains weak or unformed.

=== Identification ===
When such an incomplete planchet is struck to create a coin, the area opposite the clipped region will typically show a weakly struck rim. This is due to the absence of the raised rim, which would otherwise help in forming a well-defined edge during the striking process.

=== Example ===
A clear demonstration of the Blakesley Effect can be seen in coins that have gone through the rimming process and exhibit this characteristic weakness. This effect serves as a powerful tool for numismatists to identify genuine clipped planchet errors, distinguishing them from other types of coin damage or errors.

=== Important Considerations ===
* Rimming Process: The Blakesley Effect only occurs in coins that have undergone the rimming process.

* Authentication: This effect is one of the most reliable indicators for identifying authentic clipped planchet errors.

In summary, the Blakesley Effect is an essential concept in numismatics for the identification of genuine clipped planchet errors, providing insight into the coin minting process and the nature of specific coin errors.

Blakesley Effect

2024-06-25T13:23:28Z

Admin:

=== The Blakesley Effect ===
Named after the American numismatist who first identified it, is a key indicator for authenticating a genuine clipped planchet error in coins. This effect is characterized by a noticeable weakness in the rim directly opposite the missing portion of a clipped planchet.

==== Explanation ====
The Blakesley Effect occurs due to the rimming process used to form coin planchets. During this process, a blank coin is rolled along its edge under high pressure between a roller and a fixed edge, which raises the rim of the coin. However, when the blank is incomplete—meaning it has a clipped portion—the pressure is relieved as the missing segment passes through the rimming machinery. As a result, the rim opposite the clipped area remains weak or unformed.

==== Identification ====
When such an incomplete planchet is struck to create a coin, the area opposite the clipped region will typically show a weakly struck rim. This is due to the absence of the raised rim, which would otherwise help in forming a well-defined edge during the striking process.

===== Example =====
A clear demonstration of the Blakesley Effect can be seen in coins that have gone through the rimming process and exhibit this characteristic weakness. This effect serves as a powerful tool for numismatists to identify genuine clipped planchet errors, distinguishing them from other types of coin damage or errors.

===== Important Considerations =====

* Rimming Process: The Blakesley Effect only occurs in coins that have undergone the rimming process.

* Authentication: This effect is one of the most reliable indicators for identifying authentic clipped planchet errors.

In summary, the Blakesley Effect is an essential concept in numismatics for the identification of genuine clipped planchet errors, providing insight into the coin minting process and the nature of specific coin errors.

Blakesley Effect

2024-06-25T13:20:46Z

Admin: Created page with "The Blakesley Effect Named after the American numismatist who first identified it, is a key indicator for authenticating a genuine clipped planchet error in coins. This effect is characterized by a noticeable weakness in the rim directly opposite the missing portion of a clipped planchet. Explanation The Blakesley Effect occurs due to the rimming process used to form coin planchets. During this process, a blank coin is rolled along its edge under high pressure between a..."

The Blakesley Effect
Named after the American numismatist who first identified it, is a key indicator for authenticating a genuine clipped planchet error in coins. This effect is characterized by a noticeable weakness in the rim directly opposite the missing portion of a clipped planchet.

Explanation
The Blakesley Effect occurs due to the rimming process used to form coin planchets. During this process, a blank coin is rolled along its edge under high pressure between a roller and a fixed edge, which raises the rim of the coin. However, when the blank is incomplete—meaning it has a clipped portion—the pressure is relieved as the missing segment passes through the rimming machinery. As a result, the rim opposite the clipped area remains weak or unformed.

Identification
When such an incomplete planchet is struck to create a coin, the area opposite the clipped region will typically show a weakly struck rim. This is due to the absence of the raised rim, which would otherwise help in forming a well-defined edge during the striking process.

Example
A clear demonstration of the Blakesley Effect can be seen in coins that have gone through the rimming process and exhibit this characteristic weakness. This effect serves as a powerful tool for numismatists to identify genuine clipped planchet errors, distinguishing them from other types of coin damage or errors.

Important Considerations
Rimming Process: The Blakesley Effect only occurs in coins that have undergone the rimming process.
Authentication: This effect is one of the most reliable indicators for identifying authentic clipped planchet errors.
In summary, the Blakesley Effect is an essential concept in numismatics for the identification of genuine clipped planchet errors, providing insight into the coin minting process and the nature of specific coin errors.

Main Page

2024-06-25T13:19:53Z

Admin:

Australian ten-cent coin

2024-06-25T12:54:41Z

Admin: /* Variations */

__FORCETOC__
=== Production ===
The ten-cent coin was first introduced as part of Australia's transition to decimal currency on February 14, 1966. This transition marked a significant change in the nation's monetary system, moving away from the pounds, shillings, and pence system to a more straightforward decimal system.

The original reverse design of the ten-cent coin features a lyrebird, an iconic Australian bird known for its extraordinary ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds. Remarkably, this design has remained unchanged since its introduction, making it a consistent and recognizable symbol on the coin.

While the reverse design has stayed the same, the obverse design underwent a notable alteration in 2016. This change was made to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the introduction of decimal currency in Australia. However, the steadfast lyrebird on the reverse side continues to grace the ten-cent coin, preserving a piece of the original design for collectors and the general public alike.

The production of the ten-cent coin began with the first issues in 1966, all of which were minted at the Royal Mint in London. Following this initial production run, the responsibility for minting ten-cent coins shifted to the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. This transition reflects the evolving nature of coin production and the collaborative efforts between different mints to ensure the availability of ten-cent coins for circulation in Australia.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Value'''
! align="center" |Mass
! align="center" |'''Diameter'''
! align="center" |'''Edge'''
!'''Composition'''
|-
| align="center" |$0.10 AUD
| align="center" |5.65 g
| align="center" |23.60 mm
| align="center" |Milled
| align="center" |75% copper 25% nickel
|-
! align="center" |'''Obverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''

! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c AM Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Arnold Machin

| colspan="2" align="center" |1966-1984
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c RM Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Raphael Maklouf

| colspan="2" align="center" |1985-1998
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c IBR Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley

| colspan="2" align="center" |1999-2015
2017-2019
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c IBR50 Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II and Reproduction of threepence design
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley

| colspan="2" align="center" |2016
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c JC Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Jody Clark

| colspan="2" align="center" |2019-2023
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c JCM Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
Special Memorial
| align="center" |Jody Clark

| colspan="2" align="center" |2023
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c DT Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Charles III
| align="center" |Dan Thorne

| colspan="2" align="center" |2024-Present
|-
! align="center" |'''Reverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''

! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian_10_Cents_Rev.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Male Superb Lyrebird
| align="center" |[[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]]
| colspan="2" align="center" |1966-Present
|-
|}

=== Mintage Figures ===
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1966
|1966
|1967
|1968
|1969
|1970
|1971
|1972
|1973
|1974
|1975
|1976
|1977
|1978
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|30.0
|11.0
|51.0
|57.2
|22.1
|22.3
|20.7
|12.5
|27.3
|46.6
|50.9
|57.1
|10.9
|48.4
|-
!Mint
|RML
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}

{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1979
|1980
|1981
|1981
|1982
|1983
|1984
|1985
|1988
|1989
|1990
|1991
|1992
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|37.0
|55.6
|76.1
|40.0
|61.5
|82.3
|25.7
|2.0
|48.1
|43.5
|25.0
|4.8
|46.7
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RML
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}

{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1993
|1994
|1997
|1998
|1999
|2000
|2001
|2002
|2003
|2004
|2005
|2006
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|23.1
|43.7
|5.7
|48.0
|97.1
|51.1
|109.4
|70.3
|53.6
|89.1
|116.7
|157.1
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|2007
|2008
|2009
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|2016
|2016
|2017
|2018
|2019
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|61.1
|136.0
|25.3
|84.9
|1.7
|54.0
|49.2
|66.44
|14.3
|42.0
|6.21
|21.6
|3.3
|17.02
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|2019
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2023
|2024
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|2.03
|23.2
|22.8
|9.14
|
|
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|
|
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+
:
|RAM = Royal Australian Mint; RCM = Royal Canadian Mint; RML = Royal Mint, London; RMLL=Royal Mint, Llantrisant
|-
|1 = 50th Anniversary, 2= IRB, 3 = JC 
|}

=== Mint Marks ===
The 1966 10c coin was minted at both the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra and the London branch of the Royal Mint. Distinguishing between the two coins is relatively straightforward.

To identify the mint origin, examine the reverse side of the coin, focusing on the three lyrebird feathers towards the top. The key difference is found on the center feather: on the Canberra coin, the last spur of this feather has been removed.

In contrast, the London-minted coin retains the spur. The images below illustrates this difference, with the spur circled on the London-minted coin and the same spot (with the missing spur) circled on the Canberra-minted coin.

There are no observable mint marks on London and Canberra 1981 coins.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |RAM (Canberra)
! align="center" |RML (London)
|-
| align="center" |[[File:MintMark10ccan.jpg|200px]]
| align="center" |[[File:MintMark10cldn.jpg|200px]]
|-
|Canberra Mint: Missing spur.
|London Mint: Retains the spur.
|}

=== Variations ===
==== 1999 Large head / Small head ====
The 1999 Issued coin had large and small QE II head varieties, the large head (letters near the rim) is rarer than the small head (far from rim).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |Small Head
! align="center" |Location
! align="center" |Large Head
|-
| align="center" |[[File:199910csh.jpg|200px]]
| align="center" |[[File:199910cvar1.jpg|200px]]
| align="center" |[[File:199910clh.jpg|200px]]
|}

Australian ten-cent coin

2024-06-25T12:53:44Z

Admin:

__FORCETOC__
=== Production ===
The ten-cent coin was first introduced as part of Australia's transition to decimal currency on February 14, 1966. This transition marked a significant change in the nation's monetary system, moving away from the pounds, shillings, and pence system to a more straightforward decimal system.

The original reverse design of the ten-cent coin features a lyrebird, an iconic Australian bird known for its extraordinary ability to mimic natural and artificial sounds. Remarkably, this design has remained unchanged since its introduction, making it a consistent and recognizable symbol on the coin.

While the reverse design has stayed the same, the obverse design underwent a notable alteration in 2016. This change was made to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the introduction of decimal currency in Australia. However, the steadfast lyrebird on the reverse side continues to grace the ten-cent coin, preserving a piece of the original design for collectors and the general public alike.

The production of the ten-cent coin began with the first issues in 1966, all of which were minted at the Royal Mint in London. Following this initial production run, the responsibility for minting ten-cent coins shifted to the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. This transition reflects the evolving nature of coin production and the collaborative efforts between different mints to ensure the availability of ten-cent coins for circulation in Australia.
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |'''Value'''
! align="center" |Mass
! align="center" |'''Diameter'''
! align="center" |'''Edge'''
!'''Composition'''
|-
| align="center" |$0.10 AUD
| align="center" |5.65 g
| align="center" |23.60 mm
| align="center" |Milled
| align="center" |75% copper 25% nickel
|-
! align="center" |'''Obverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''

! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c AM Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Arnold Machin

| colspan="2" align="center" |1966-1984
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c RM Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Raphael Maklouf

| colspan="2" align="center" |1985-1998
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c IBR Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley

| colspan="2" align="center" |1999-2015
2017-2019
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c IBR50 Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II and Reproduction of threepence design
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley

| colspan="2" align="center" |2016
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c JC Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Jody Clark

| colspan="2" align="center" |2019-2023
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c JCM Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
Special Memorial
| align="center" |Jody Clark

| colspan="2" align="center" |2023
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian 10c DT Coin.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Charles III
| align="center" |Dan Thorne

| colspan="2" align="center" |2024-Present
|-
! align="center" |'''Reverse'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''

! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Australian_10_Cents_Rev.jpg|59px]]
| align="center" |Male Superb Lyrebird
| align="center" |[[Stuart Devlin AO CMG|Stuart Devlin]]
| colspan="2" align="center" |1966-Present
|-
|}

=== Mintage Figures ===
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1966
|1966
|1967
|1968
|1969
|1970
|1971
|1972
|1973
|1974
|1975
|1976
|1977
|1978
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|30.0
|11.0
|51.0
|57.2
|22.1
|22.3
|20.7
|12.5
|27.3
|46.6
|50.9
|57.1
|10.9
|48.4
|-
!Mint
|RML
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}

{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1979
|1980
|1981
|1981
|1982
|1983
|1984
|1985
|1988
|1989
|1990
|1991
|1992
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|37.0
|55.6
|76.1
|40.0
|61.5
|82.3
|25.7
|2.0
|48.1
|43.5
|25.0
|4.8
|46.7
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RML
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}

{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|1993
|1994
|1997
|1998
|1999
|2000
|2001
|2002
|2003
|2004
|2005
|2006
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|23.1
|43.7
|5.7
|48.0
|97.1
|51.1
|109.4
|70.3
|53.6
|89.1
|116.7
|157.1
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|2007
|2008
|2009
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|2016
|2016
|2017
|2018
|2019
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|61.1
|136.0
|25.3
|84.9
|1.7
|54.0
|49.2
|66.44
|14.3
|42.0
|6.21
|21.6
|3.3
|17.02
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|}
{|class="wikitable"
|+
!Mintage year
|2019
|2020
|2021
|2022
|2023
|2024
|-
!Mintage (Mil)
|2.03
|23.2
|22.8
|9.14
|
|
|-
!Mint
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|RAM
|
|
|}

{| class="wikitable"
|+
:
|RAM = Royal Australian Mint; RCM = Royal Canadian Mint; RML = Royal Mint, London; RMLL=Royal Mint, Llantrisant
|-
|1 = 50th Anniversary, 2= IRB, 3 = JC 
|}

=== Mint Marks ===
The 1966 10c coin was minted at both the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra and the London branch of the Royal Mint. Distinguishing between the two coins is relatively straightforward.

To identify the mint origin, examine the reverse side of the coin, focusing on the three lyrebird feathers towards the top. The key difference is found on the center feather: on the Canberra coin, the last spur of this feather has been removed.

In contrast, the London-minted coin retains the spur. The images below illustrates this difference, with the spur circled on the London-minted coin and the same spot (with the missing spur) circled on the Canberra-minted coin.

There are no observable mint marks on London and Canberra 1981 coins.

{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |RAM (Canberra)
! align="center" |RML (London)
|-
| align="center" |[[File:MintMark10ccan.jpg|200px]]
| align="center" |[[File:MintMark10cldn.jpg|200px]]
|-
|Canberra Mint: Missing spur.
|London Mint: Retains the spur.
|}

=== Variations ===
The history of Australian coins is rich and varied, reflecting the country's transition from a collection of British colonies to a federated nation with its own distinct identity. Here's an overview:

==== 1999 Large head / Small head ====
The 1999 Issued coin had large and small QE II head varieties, the large head (letters near the rim) is rarer than the small head (far from rim).
{| class="wikitable"
|+
! align="center" |Small Head
! align="center" |Location
! align="center" |Large Head
|-
| align="center" |[[File:199910csh.jpg|200px]]
| align="center" |[[File:199910cvar1.jpg|200px]]
| align="center" |[[File:199910clh.jpg|200px]]
|}