Australian five-cent coin: Difference between revisions

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__FORCETOC__
'''Production:'''
=== Production ===
 
The Australian five-cent coin was first introduced with the transition to decimal currency on 14 February 1966. The original reverse design featuring the iconic echidna has remained unchanged since the coin's introduction over 50 years ago. In 2016, the obverse (front) design was updated to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Australia's decimalisation, but the echidna reverse has been a constant on the five-cent piece.
The Australian five-cent coin was first introduced with the transition to decimal currency on 14 February 1966. The original reverse design featuring the iconic echidna has remained unchanged since the coin's introduction over 50 years ago. In 2016, the obverse (front) design was updated to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Australia's decimalisation, but the echidna reverse has been a constant on the five-cent piece.


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Over the decades, the Australian five-cent coin has become an enduring symbol of the country's decimal currency system. Its reverse design featuring the distinctive spiny echidna has become instantly recognizable to Australians and is a testament to the ongoing legacy of the five-cent coin.
Over the decades, the Australian five-cent coin has become an enduring symbol of the country's decimal currency system. Its reverse design featuring the distinctive spiny echidna has become instantly recognizable to Australians and is a testament to the ongoing legacy of the five-cent coin.
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
|+
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| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Arnold Machin
| align="center" |Arnold Machin
| colspan="2" align="center" |1966-1984
| colspan="2" align="center" |1966-1984
|-
|-
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| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| colspan="2" align="center" |1999-2015
| colspan="2" align="center" |1999-2015
2017-2019
2017-2019
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| align="center" |Elizabeth II and Reproduction of 1953-1964 One Penny
| align="center" |Elizabeth II and Reproduction of 1953-1964 One Penny
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| align="center" |Ian Rank-Broadley
| colspan="2" align="center" |2016
| colspan="2" align="center" |2016
|-
|-
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| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Elizabeth II
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| colspan="2" align="center" |2019-2023
| colspan="2" align="center" |2019-2023
|-
|-
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Special Memorial  
Special Memorial  
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| align="center" |Jody Clark
| colspan="2" align="center" |2023
| colspan="2" align="center" |2023
|-
|-
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| align="center" |Charles III
| align="center" |Charles III
| align="center" |Dan Thorne
| align="center" |Dan Thorne
| colspan="2" align="center" |2024-Present
| colspan="2" align="center" |2024-Present
|-
|-
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! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Design'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! align="center" |'''Designer'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
! colspan="2" align="center" |'''Design date'''
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|}
|}
 
=== Mintage Figures ===
 
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|RAM
|RAM
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'''Mint Marks:'''
=== Mint Marks ===
 
The two different variants of the 1966 Australian five-cent coin minted in London and Canberra can be readily distinguished by a key visual difference in their reverse designs. Specifically, the length of the spine on the echidna's front right shoulder is notably longer on the coins produced at the Royal Mint in London compared to the shorter spine on the Canberra-minted coins from the Royal Australian Mint.
The two different variants of the 1966 Australian five-cent coin minted in London and Canberra can be readily distinguished by a key visual difference in their reverse designs. Specifically, the length of the spine on the echidna's front right shoulder is notably longer on the coins produced at the Royal Mint in London compared to the shorter spine on the Canberra-minted coins from the Royal Australian Mint.


Latest revision as of 03:48, 25 June 2024

Production

The Australian five-cent coin was first introduced with the transition to decimal currency on 14 February 1966. The original reverse design featuring the iconic echidna has remained unchanged since the coin's introduction over 50 years ago. In 2016, the obverse (front) design was updated to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Australia's decimalisation, but the echidna reverse has been a constant on the five-cent piece.

All of the initial 1966 production run of five-cent coins was carried out at the Royal Mint in London. Since those first coins minted in the UK, subsequent five-cent pieces have been produced by several mints, including the Royal Australian Mint, the Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales, and the Royal Canadian Mint.

Over the decades, the Australian five-cent coin has become an enduring symbol of the country's decimal currency system. Its reverse design featuring the distinctive spiny echidna has become instantly recognizable to Australians and is a testament to the ongoing legacy of the five-cent coin.

Value Mass Diameter Edge Composition
$0.05 AUD 2.83 g 19.41 mm Milled 76% copper
25% nickel
Obverse Design Designer Design date
Elizabeth II Arnold Machin 1966-1984
Elizabeth II Raphael Maklouf 1985-1998
Elizabeth II Ian Rank-Broadley 1999-2015

2017-2019

Elizabeth II and Reproduction of 1953-1964 One Penny Ian Rank-Broadley 2016
Elizabeth II Jody Clark 2019-2023
Elizabeth II

Special Memorial

Jody Clark 2023
Charles III Dan Thorne 2024-Present
Reverse Design Designer Design date
Short beaked Echidna Stuart Devlin 1966-Present

Mintage Figures

Mintage year 1966 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978
Mintage (Mil) 30.0 45.4 62.1 67.3 38.2 46.1 39.5 8.3 48.8 64.2 44.3 113.2 108.8 25.2
Mint RML RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM
Mintage year 1979 1980 1981 1981 1981 1982 1983 1984 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992
Mintage (Mil) 44.5 115 62.0 50.0 50.3 139.5 131.6 43.5 73.5 103.4 95.8 33.3 29.9 52.6
Mint RAM RAM RAM RCM RMLL RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM
Mintage year 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Mintage (Mil) 93.8 156.7 85.0 79.2 100.7 88.5 179.5 97.4 174.6 148.8 115.1 145.3 194.3 306.5
Mint RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RCM RMLL RAM RAM
Mintage year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2016 2017 2018 2019
Mintage (Mil) 59.0 200.2 83.9 55.1 44.8 68.9 78.7 76.0 21.2 34.4 4.81 18.6 25.1 46.22
Mint RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM RAM
Mintage year 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Mintage (Mil) 2.03 49.9 36.7 49.0
Mint RAM RAM RAM RAM
RAM = Royal Australian Mint; RCM = Royal Canadian Mint; RML = Royal Mint, London; RMLL=Royal Mint, Llantrisant
1 = 50th Anniversary, 2= IRB, 3 = JC

Mint Marks

The two different variants of the 1966 Australian five-cent coin minted in London and Canberra can be readily distinguished by a key visual difference in their reverse designs. Specifically, the length of the spine on the echidna's front right shoulder is notably longer on the coins produced at the Royal Mint in London compared to the shorter spine on the Canberra-minted coins from the Royal Australian Mint.

This subtle but distinct design variation provides a helpful diagnostic feature for collectors and enthusiasts seeking to differentiate between the two 1966 five-cent coin varieties. The longer spine on the London-minted coins creates a more pronounced and pronounced quill-like appearance, whereas the Canberra coins have a shorter, less emphasized spine on the same part of the echidna's body.

In terms of production numbers, the Royal Mint in London struck 30 million of the 1966 five-cent coins. Meanwhile, the Canberra facility of the Royal Australian Mint produced over 45 million examples of the 1966 five-cent piece. As a result, the Canberra-minted coins are the more prevalent and commonly encountered of the two 1966 five-cent varieties among collectors and in circulation.

This clear visual distinction and difference in mintage figures makes the longer vs. shorter spine on the echidna's front right shoulder an essential diagnostic tool for identifying the origin mint of individual 1966 Australian five-cent coins. It's a key detail that numismatists and coin enthusiasts can use to accurately attribute and catalogue examples of this important decimal currency issue.

RAM (Canberra) RML (London)
Canberra Mint: Short spine. London Mint: Longer spine.

Source: https://en.numista.com/forum/topic40798.html

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