Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
20 Cents - Elizabeth II 3rd Portrait, In the name of - Platypus, Raphael Maklouf Obverse, Gold Proof
| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 2024 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Technique | Proof |
| Orientation | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Right-facing crowned effigy of Queen Elizabeth II after the third portrait by Raphael Maklouf, depicting the Queen wearing the George IV State Diadem, a pearl drop earring, and a pearl necklace. The bust is rendered with finely detailed hair and regal attire characteristic of the Maklouf style. The engraver's initials 'RDM' appear on the truncation. The legend 'ELIZABETH II 1952 - 2022' arcs along the upper left field, while 'AUSTRALIA 2024' continues along the right periphery, commemorating the Queen's reign dates. |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Log in to see details |
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | Central design depicts a platypus swimming amid water ripples, rendered in low relief with naturalistic detail by engraver Stuart Devlin, whose initials 'SD' appear to the lower left of the animal. The platypus is shown in lateral profile, its distinctive duck-bill and webbed forepaw clearly delineated as it glides through stylised concentric water rings that radiate across the field. The bold numeral '20' is positioned in the upper right quadrant of the field, indicating the denomination. The composition is uncluttered, with no additional lettering on the reverse. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | Log in to see details |
| Additional information |
Australia's 20-cent denomination has carried the platypus since 1966 — the year the country decimalized — making it one of the longer-running animal pairings in any modern coinage series. The third portrait of Elizabeth II, sculpted by Raphael Maklouf, was introduced in 1985 and replaced on circulating coinage by Ian Rank-Broadley's effigy in 1998, meaning this proof restrike deliberately reaches back nearly four decades to a superseded obverse. The Royal Australian Mint has issued several retrospective gold proofs pairing historic portraits with their original reverse designs, a practice that appeals specifically to collectors assembling portrait-era sets rather than date runs.