50 Cents - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait - 1918 Return to the Family

Issued by the Perth Mint in 2018 to mark the centenary of the end of World War I, this piece commemorates the mass demobilization and repatriation of Australian troops following the Armistice. Over 330,000 Australians had served overseas; the physical and psychological toll of their return reshaped domestic policy, accelerating soldier-settlement schemes and repatriation benefits that remained contentious for decades. The pad-printing process used for the colorized elements is a relatively recent addition to the Perth Mint's production toolkit, applied here to achieve tonal subtlety that conventional enameling cannot replicate.