Hundreds of collectors spent the first day of the year queuing up at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra to get their hands on the new coins.
The first collectible coin, featuring the face of King Charles III, has been printed by the Royal Australian Mint, sending coin collectors crazy trying to snag one of these coins.
The “Out Of This World” coin is a tribute to Australia’s contribution to space exploration, with references to the first satellite launch and the iconic Apollo 11 moon landing.
This gold coin is just one of the many coins stamped with the new monarch’s effigy.
There is also a new batch of $2, 50c, 20c, 10c, and 5c coins, all featuring the King’s face which will be progressively entering circulation in 2024.
So, for most Australians, these coins will be the first ones they hold with the face of a King stamped on the back.
Some of these coins were delivered to banks late last year, and they’ve already started showing up in cash registers all over the country.
The excitement is real! Assistant Minister for Treasury, Andrew Leigh, mentioned that these coins give Australians a chance to “get their own little piece of history”.
There are some interesting changes in the new coin roll-out. One notable difference is the direction in which the monarch is facing, signalling a change of guard in the royal family’s leadership.
According to Minister Leigh, it has been a tradition since at least the 17th century for successive monarchs to face in different directions on the coins. Queen Elizabeth II faced to the right, but now King Charles III faces to the left.
It’s worth mentioning that the Royal Australian Mint will continue to print coins with the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Obverse until May 2024.
