| Coin | Fifty Cents 2020 Year of the Rat |
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The Australian 50 cent denomination is a large dodecagonal (12-sided) copper-nickel circulating coin; apart from the usual design featuring the Australian Coat of Arms (by Stuart Devlin) which has not been changed since its introduction, the denomination is also often used to issue circulating commemorative coins with various reverses. It is one of the heaviest coins in regular circulation in the world.
Apart from the circulating coinage, the Royal Australian Mint has an extensive program issuing 50 cent coins for collectors (Non-Circulating Legal Tender, or NCLT). Most of them share the same specifications with the circulating coins. However, some of them are 14-sided (a Tetra-Decagon) and are not compatible with the circulating coinage.
This coin was issued as part of coin series marking the Chinese Year of the Rat (25 January 2020 - 11 February 2021). |
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| Obverse | |
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The obverse of the coin depicts the crowned old bust of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Royal Diamond Diadem crown worn for her Coronation (effigy known as the "Fifth Portrait" worldwide but "Sixth Portrait" in Australia, where the Queen's portrait by Vladimir Gottwald was fifth).
The Queen also wears the Coronation Necklace; originally made for Queen Victoria in 1858, it was also worn at the coronations (as Queen's Consort) of Queen Alexandra in 1902, Queen Mary in 1911 and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen mother) in 1937.
Unlike on British coinage, the effigy is "uncouped" (includes the Queen's shoulders) and extends almost to the rim of the coin; consequently, the legend does not run continuously around the rim.
The artist's initials JC (for Jody Clark) are in tiny letters below left.
Around the effigy is the monarch's legend and the date: ELIZABETH II · AUSTRALIA 2020.
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| Reverse | |
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The reverse of the coin shows at its centre a rat walking on a forking branch of a tree, with leaves and blossoms in the foreground.
Below right, the Chinese character for "rat" 鼠. On the left, the face value 50 [cents].
The designer's initials TD (for Tony Dean) are below left. |
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| Edge | Plain | Edge Inscription | None |
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| See also |
Year of the Rat 2020 coins issued by RAM include:
- Gold Five Ounces, Year of the Rat 2020
- Gold Ounce, Two Rats, Fourth Portrait, Year of the Rat 2020
- Gold Ounce, Domed, Year of the Rat 2020
- Gold Ounce, Year of the Rat 2020
- Gold Quarter Ounce, Two Rats, Fourth Portrait, Year of the Rat 2020
- Gold Twentieth-Ounce, Two Rats, Fourth Portrait, Year of the Rat 2020
- Silver Kilo ($30), Year of the Rat 2020
- Silver Ounce ($5), Domed, Year of the Rat 2020
- Silver Ounce ($1), Year of the Rat 2020
- Silver Half Ounce, Rectangular Ingot, Year of the Rat 2020
- $1 Year of the Rat, Aluminium Bronze, Year of the Rat 2020
- $1 Good Luck, Aluminium Bronze, Year of the Rat 2020
- 50 Cents, Copper-Nickel, Year of the Rat 2020
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