Australian Coins: Decimal Coins Since 1966

Australian coins at a glance

• 5c: echidna
• 10c: superb lyrebird
• 20c: platypus
• 50c: coat of arms, on a 12-sided coin and a favorite for commemoratives
• $1: five kangaroos, gold-colored, from 1984
• $2: an Aboriginal elder with the Southern Cross, gold-colored, from 1988
• 1c and 2c: a feather-tailed glider and a frilled-neck lizard, withdrawn in 1992

Decimal Day and the Royal Australian Mint

The dollar replaced the Australian pound in 1966. With it came a full set of new coins. Stuart Devlin designed the animal reverses, which have stayed on the everyday coins ever since.

The first 50c was round and made of 80% silver. The silver was soon worth more than the coin, so in 1969 it was replaced by the 12-sided cupronickel coin still in use. A round 1966 50c is worth setting aside for its silver alone.

The Royal Australian Mint opened in Canberra in 1965 to produce the new decimal coins. Before it opened, Australia's coins mostly came from branches of the Royal Mint in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. Today the Canberra mint strikes all of Australia's circulating coins and a steady stream of commemoratives.

Coins that replaced notes

Coins last far longer than paper, so Australia moved its two smallest notes into metal. The $1 coin arrived in 1984 and the $2 coin in 1988. Oddly to visitors, the $2 is the smaller of the two, at 20.5 mm against 25 mm, though it's thicker. Both notes had been introduced with decimal currency in 1966.

Both are made of aluminum bronze, a copper alloy with aluminum and nickel that gives them the gold color. The 1c and 2c went the other way: production ended and they were withdrawn in 1992, with cash totals rounded to the nearest five cents.

The portraits on Australian coins

Australia used the same portraits of Elizabeth II as Britain, which helps you date a worn coin. On the later portraits, the designer's initials under the neck help too, such as IRB for Rank-Broadley and JC for Clark.

• Arnold Machin: 1966 to 1984
• Raphael Maklouf: 1985 to 1998
• Ian Rank-Broadley: 1999 to 2019
• Jody Clark: introduced in 2019, which is why some 2019 coins exist with both portraits
• King Charles III: on new coins following his accession

Spotting an Australian coin

The portrait side gives it away: AUSTRALIA appears with the monarch's name and the date. If the writing has worn smooth, the animals help. The echidna, lyrebird and platypus are distinctively Australian, while the five kangaroos on the $1 are hard to mistake.

Size helps as well. The $2 is small and thick, while the 12-sided 50c is large and heavy, so neither looks like a US coin.

Colored coins and what to check in change

Australia has issued many circulating commemoratives, especially on the 50c, $1 and $2. Since 2012 several $2 coins have had a colored center, starting with the Remembrance Day red poppy. These are the Australian coins most worth checking in change.

The $2 coins get the most attention: the 2012 red poppy, the 2013 Coronation and the 2011 date are the scarce ones. A round 1966 50c is worth keeping for its silver. Commemorative 50c and $1 coins turn up often too. Most are face value, but they're fun to collect from change.

Frequently asked questions