Catalog
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| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1966 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 13.28 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 1966 |
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| Additional information |
Australia's 1966 decimal changeover was originally planned around a silver 50-cent piece, and this pattern represents that intention before the economics collapsed. Silver prices rose sharply enough in the years immediately following that the circulating .800 silver coins — already released — were being melted by the public for bullion profit. The mint pulled the composition within two years, replacing it with a dodecagonal cupro-nickel design in 1969.
This pattern predates even that short-lived circulation issue, struck during the design approval process for the new decimal series.