50 cents (Australian)
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The 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, 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silver price became higher, the coins' bullion value became more valuable than their face value and so were withdrawn from circulation.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. 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.
Commemorative coins
- 1970 50c "Captain Cook"
- 1977 50c "Silver Jubilee"
- 1981 50c "Charles & Diana Royal Wedding"
- 1982 50c "XII 1982 Commonwealth Games Brisbane"
- 1988 50c, $1 "First Fleet Bicentenary 1788-1988"
- 1991 50c "25th Anniv. Decimal Currency (Ram's Head)"
- 1994 50c "Year of the Family"
- 1995 50c "'Weary' Dunlop"
- 1998 50c Commemorating the discovery of Bass Strait in 1798 by Matthew Flinders who named the Strait after his colleague George Bass
- 2000 50c "Royal Visit"
- 2000 50c "Millennium Year"
- 2001 50c "Centenary of Federation" coins for each of the nine states and territories
- 2002 50c "Year of the Outback" Windmill
- 2003 50c "Australia's Volunteers"
- 2004 50c Student Design - Animals, with Wombat, Koala and Cockatoo.
- 2005 50c "60th Anniv., End of World War II",
- 2005 50c Student Design - Melbourne Commonwealth Games".
References
Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values 19th edition 2000. By Ian Pitt
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