50 Cents - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait - Federation - Tasmania

One of six designs released in 2001 to mark the centenary of Australian federation, this piece represents Tasmania's contribution to the commemorative series. Each state was allocated its own reverse, a politically careful decision given federation itself had been a fraught negotiation — Tasmania, as Van Diemen's Land, had been among the more reluctant colonies, its small population giving it outsized anxiety about being outvoted in a federal parliament dominated by the mainland. The enabling legislation passed the Australian colonies between 1899 and 1900 before receiving royal assent on 9 July 1900.

The dodecagonal cupro-nickel format dates to 1969, when Australia replaced its pre-decimal fifty-cent silver coin after just one year of circulation — the 80% silver piece had been immediately hoarded.