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Pattern - 1 Dollar - Elizabeth II 2nd Portrait - Imperial Lion Test Coin
| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1977 |
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| Composition | Copper-nickel (Cu 84%, Ni 16%) |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 1977 |
| Reverse description | A heraldic Imperial Lion rampant facing left, depicted holding a pair of manual coin-testing stampers, symbolising the minting and testing process. The design served as a test piece for the proposed heptagonal dollar coin format. The encircling legend TESTING R. AUST. MINT is positioned along the left and right periphery of the reverse field. |
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| Additional information |
The Royal Australian Mint produced a series of internal test pieces during the mid-1970s as it worked toward introducing a large-denomination dollar coin to replace the paper note. This particular pattern, struck in 1977, predates the eventual 1984 circulation dollar by seven years — the intervening delay driven largely by disagreements over size, metal composition, and public acceptance studies. The "Imperial Lion" designation refers to the test series identifier used internally at the Deakin facility, not a design attribution.