50 Cent Coin

The twelve-sided Australian fifty-cent piece is the third-largest denomination of the Australian dollar and the largest under a dollar. It was introduced in 1969 to replace the round 50 cents coin introduced in 1966.

It is by diameter 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 fifty 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silver price became higher, the coins' bullion value became more valuable than their face value and so were withdrawn from circulation.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.

Dimensions	Mass	Front	Back	Date of issue
31.51 mm	15.55 g	Queen Elizabeth II	Australian coat of arms	1969 to present

Designer Arnold Machin (1969) Raphael Maklouf (1985) Ian Rank-Broadley (1999)

	1970: Commemorating the bicentenary of James Cook's 1770 voyage. Based on a painting by John Webber. The inclusion of Cook's signature was thought to be the first use of a facsimile signature on a coin. Designed by Stuart Devlin.
	1977: Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Accession of Queen Elizabeth II. Based on a central wattle blossom symbol of Australia surrounded by 25 overlapping crowns. Designed by Stuart Devlin.
	1981: Commemorating the marriage of HRH the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. Designed by Stuart Devlin.
	1982: Commemorating the Brisbane XII Commonwealth Games. Incorporates the Games symbol designed by Hugh Edwards to reflect the form of a kangaroo in full flight. Designed by Stuart Devlin.
	1988: Commemorating the Australian Bicentenary. Designed by Michael MacLellan Tracey.
	1991: Celebrating the 25th anniversary of decimal currency. The original image of the stud ram Uardry 0.1 by George Edward Kruger Grey used on the shilling from 1937 to 1964 was reworked by Horst Hahne.
	1994: Celebrating the United Nations International Year of the Family. Designed by Carolyn Rosser.
	1995: Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II. Designed by Louis Laumen and Horst Hahne, sculpted by Horst Hahne.
	1998: Commemorating the 200th anniversary of the voyage of Bass and Flinders. Designed by Vladimir Gottwald.
	2000: Millenium Year Designed and sculpted by Vladimir Gottwald
	2000: Commemorating the visit of Queen Elizabeth II. Designed and sculpted by Vladimir Gottwald.
	2001: Commemorating the Centenary of Federation. Featuring the 1912 Commonwealth Coat of Arms granted by King George V.
	2001: Commemorating the Centenary of Federation. Featuring the Coat of Arms of Canberra, granted by King George V in 1928. Designed by CR Wylie
	2001: Commemorating the Centenary of Federation. Featuring the NSW Coat of Arms, granted by King Edward VII in 1906. Designed by William Applegate Gullick.
	2001: Commemorating the Centenary of Federation. Featuring the Northern Territory Coat of Arms, granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1978.
	2001: Commemorating the Centenary of Federation. Featuring the Queensland Coat of Arms, the oldest in Australia, granted by Queen Victoria in 1893.
	2001: Commemorating the Centenary of Federation. Featuring the South Australian Coat of Arms, granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1984 replacing the original granted in 1936.
	2001: Commemorating the Centenary of Federation. Featuring the Tasmanian Coat of Arms, granted by King George V in 1917.
	2001: Commemorating the Centenary of Federation. Featuring the Victorian Coat of Arms, granted by King George V in 1910.
	2001: Commemorating the Centenary of Federation. Featuring the Western Australian Coat of Arms, granted by Queen Elizabeth the Second in 1969.
	2001: Commemorating the Centenary of Federation. Featuring the Norfolk Island Coat of Arms, granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1980.
	2002: Commemorating the Year of the Outback. Designed and sculpted by Wojciech Pietranik.
	2003: Commemorating Australia's Volunteers. Designed and sculpted by Vladimir Gottwald.
	2004: Primary School design competition winner John Serrano. Sculpted by Vladimir Gottwald.
	2005: Commemorating the 60th Anniversary of the end of World War 2. This design was inspired by a photograph in the Australian War Memorial collection of a scene of a burial at El Alamein in 1942. Designed and sculpted by Wojciech Pietranik.
	2005: Secondary School Commonwealth Games design competition winner. Designed by Kelly Just. Sculpted by Vladimir Gottwald.
	2010: Commemorating Australia Day. Designed and sculpted by Vladimir Gottwald.

	2013 Royal Christening - HRH Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge Coin and Stamp PNC In celebration of the Royal Christening of HRH Prince George, Australia Post have released their latest PNC. The family portrait is featured on the stamps, with the inclusion of a 50c uncirculated coin beautifully designed with ‘HRH Prince George Born 22.07.2013’ appearing under the initials of his parents, set in the latest branch of the Royal Family tree.
	2014: German New Guinea 1914 – Australia at War Series
	2014: Year of the Horse Exciting and extroverted, vivid and animated, people born in the year of the horse are said to be bursting with energy – the life of any party they attend.
	2014: Boer War – Australia at War Series As a testimony to colonial Australians’ loyalty to the British motherland, the Royal Australian Mint presents this tribute to those who served in the Boer War, defending the lives and honour of British subjects in South Africa.
	2014: Battle of Cocos Islands 1914 – Australia at War Series As Australia commemorates a centenary of Anzac service, the Royal Australian Mint’s Australia at War series remembers the Battle of Cocos Islands. A century later, this battle is still being remembered as Australia’s first naval victory.
	2014: 50th Anniversary of Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Studies The Royal Australian Mint is proud to be partnering with AIATSIS to produce both a circulating 50 cent coin and this special collectors’ edition.