by Björn Schöpe
January 29, 2015 – On February 22, 1965 Prince Philipp, Duke of Edinburgh, inaugurated the new Royal Australian Mint building. Previously branches of the British Royal Mint – in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth – had produced all coins required by the former British colony. From now on the new mint in Canberra exclusively produced all circulation coins of the State of Australia. As early as in the next year, in 1966, Downunder shifted to the decimal currency – five years before the motherland.
The Royal Australian Mint in Deakin, a suburb of Canberra. Photograph: Royal Australian Mint.
Since 1965 the Mint has kept up with the times. Today The Royal Australian Mint does not only take care of Australia’s circulation coins but is also an international player. Particularly the smaller states of Oceania like Tokelau and Cook Islands rely on the expertise of Australia’s mint which, by the way, received as the very first mint of the world the International Quality Standards ISO 9001 certificate due to their high production standard. During the past fifty years over 14 billion coins were minted in the production halls in Canberra.
A view into the high security area of the Royal Australian Mint. Photograph: UK.
On February 21, 2015 everybody is invited to visit even the high security area in Canberra at the Open Day. Attendees of the World Money Fair will not have this opportunity, but the representatives of the Royal Australian Mint have prepared quite some promotion surprises for them too.
This coin in circulation quality will be available for 5 euros in Berlin, while 10 AUD are charged for it in Australia.
A new 2015 $1 coin (mintage: 10,000) links in a particular way Australia and Berlin: by a privy mark in shape of the Ampelmann.
On its obverse five kangaroos, the continent’s trademark, are depicted jumping. Attendees to World Money Fair will be the first to hold these coins in their hands. The first fifty people who visit the booth of the Royal Australian Mint can even receive a signed certificate from the Mint CEO, Ampelmann Managing Director, and World Money Fair President!
The new 50-cent coin celebrates the employees of the Mint who work as hard as bees.
What coin would be suited better to celebrate the Mint’s fiftieth birthday than the 50-cent piece? A new design depicts a honeycomb that shall remind us of the many industrious employees on whose craftsmanship the Mint’s success is built. Single gold-coloured combs form the number ‘50’. The coin packaging offered in Berlin refers exclusively to World Money Fair.
‘50.50’: a re-issue of the first decimal coin from 1966 and today’s 50-cent coin are available in a set.
Besides the circulation coin set in proof quality the ‘50.50’ set is particularly attractive: a re-issue of the 50-cent coin from 1966 meets the current issue bridging the gap between Then and Today.
A joint project of the mints of Australia, Turkey, and Great Britain, and of New Zealand Post recalls the fighting on the Gallipoli peninsula.
A hundred years after the Gallipoli Campaign during the First World War, the Royal Australian Mint has chosen a special way of commemoration. To the Australians as subjects to the British crown these fightings in the Ottoman Empire were one of the central moments in the „Great War“. Together with Turkey and New Zealand Post the Royal Australian Mint and British Royal Mint have created a set composed of four coins which interpret this historical event from different perspectives of the respective countries involved.
Those who whish to receive more information on new coins should go to the booth of the Royal Australian Mint in Berlin. Additionally, the experts will hear much more at the Media Forum. Being the Guest of Honour Ross MacDiarmid, CEO of Royal Australian Mint, will speak first at the forum looking back on fifty years of the mint’s history. Later all new issues will be presented.
At World Money Fair 2014 Southern Cross was given the COTY award as Best Crown Coin.
By the way, the last year was particularly successful for the Royal Australian Mint. At the last World Money Fair the spectacular curved coin ‘Southern Cross’ was given the COTY award of Best Crown Coin.
For more information on the Mint go to the website of The Royal Australian Mint.
We reported on the Southern Cross here.
The Ampelmann is being merchandised today by the company Ampelmann Berlin in numerous ways.
If you want to attend to World Money Fair you should take a look at the official website.