| Australia | |
| Value | 0.50 AUD |
|---|---|
| Mass | 15.55 g |
| Diameter | 31.51 mm |
| Thickness | 3.00 mm |
| Edge | plain |
| Composition | 75% Copper, 25% Nickel |
| Years of minting | 1969 – present |
| Catalog number | – |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Queen Elizabeth II, Australia's Queen |
| Designer | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Design date | 1965 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Australian coat of arms |
| Designer | Stuart Devlin |
| Design date | 1965 |
The twelve-sided Australian 50 cent piece is the largest Australian coin currently issued and second largest after the Crown of 1937-38. Originally the coin was made of 80% silver and 20% copper (round 50 cents), but as the value of a free-floating silver price became higher, the coins' bullion value became more valuable than their face value and so were withdrawn from circulation. Many commemorative coins have been issued due to their large size allowing for a better image with more content.
At 31.5mm, the coin is one of the largest in circulation today, although the Costa Rican 500 colónes, Ni Vanuatu 50 vatu[1] and the 50 CFP Franc are larger, all 32.9 mm.
Commemorative coins
The Australian 50 cent coin was the first to display a variation of the obverse design in 1970 for the commemorating the bicentennial of Captain Cook's landing in Australia. Various other designs followed until the 1 dollar and 20 cent included new designs also.
Most years have the coat of arms except those below, years of non-issue are: 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992.
Standard designs were also issued with commemoratives in the following years: 1981, 2004 and 2005.
External links
References
| Preceded by Australian 50 cent coin (round) |
Fifty Cents (Australian) 1969–present |
Succeeded by Current |
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