The Holey Dollar and The Dump 1989, Coin Set from Australia - detailed information

This is the second "Holey Dollar" and "Dump" set issued by the Perth Mint, in what would later become a range of such sets.

The set contains two coins: a large (one ounce) coin with the shape of a ring, and a small "dump" which fits within the whole of the large coin. They are styled after the Holey Dollar and the dump, which were a form of emergency money in the colony of New South Wales. In 1813, in order to overcome a shortage of circulating coinage, the colonial government authorised the cutting out of a small piece (the dump) from a quantity of Spanish 8 Reales coins ("Spanish dollar), with the resulting two pieces being over-stamped as five shillings on the ring, and fifteen pence on the dump.

The 1989 set portrays freshwater crocodiles and the Wandjina. Alternatively written as Wanjina and Wondjina, and also known as Gulingi, the Wandjina are cloud and rain spirits from Australian Aboriginal mythology that are depicted prominently in rock art in Australia. Some of the artwork in the Kimberley region of Western Australia dates back to approximately 4,000 years ago.