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50 cents In the name of Elizabeth II, 6th Portrait - Emperor Penguin
| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 2023 |
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| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | 15.55 g |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
| Obverse script | Latin |
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| Reverse description | The reverse features a vividly pad-printed polychrome scene depicting a group of Emperor Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) on an Antarctic ice shelf. Two adult Emperor Penguins rendered in full colour — with characteristic black backs, white fronts, and golden-orange auricular patches — stand prominently in the centre of the field, flanking a fluffy grey chick. Additional penguins and rocky ice formations are rendered in relief in the uncoloured background to the left and right. The lower portion of the design showcases a coloured depiction of blue Antarctic waters and white ice, evoking the species' natural habitat. The legend EMPEROR PENGUIN curves along the upper periphery, and the engraver's initials AWB appear in the lower exergue. |
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| Additional information |
Australia's circulating 50-cent piece has carried dodecagonal form since 1969, but pad printing — a process borrowed from industrial parts marking — allows color application to that irregular surface without the cracking or edge-registration problems that plague flat printed coins. The Royal Australian Mint has leaned into the technique for wildlife issues since the mid-2010s, making colored circulation-class coinage genuinely viable at scale.
The Emperor Penguin breeding cycle unfolds entirely on Antarctic sea ice through the Southern Hemisphere winter — one of the more extreme biological commitments documented in any species, and the likely editorial hook for this release.