Australian ten-cent coin

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	75% 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 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