The Australian 50 cent denomination was first introduced as a silver coin with decimalisation on 14 February 1966, but was changed in 1969 to its current specifications: a large dodecagonal (12-sided) copper-nickel coin; apart from the usual design featuring the Australian Coat of Arms, the denomination is also extensively used to issue circulating commemorative coins with various reverses. It is one of the heaviest coins in regular circulation in the world.
Apart from circulating coins, the Royal Australian Mint has a range of Non-Circulating Legal Tender (NCLT) 50 cent coins issued for collectors, such as this one.
This coin is part of a series featuring themes related to Henry Lawson, and is dedicated to his story On the Edge of a Plain.
Henry Lawson (1867 - 1922) was a gifted balladist and short story writer with a talent for narrative, atmosphere and humour. Despite the failures of his later years, Lawson remained a popular favourite and he continues to be recognised as a central figure in Australian literary and popular culture.
In "While the Billy Boils", Henry Lawson's first important collection of stories, there are several short pieces which Lawson called "sketches". "On the Edge of a Plain" is one of them, in which Mitchell - the dominant voice in the sketches - explains to his mate the experience of returning home to his family after a long absence in the outback. It became so smothering that he broke his promise to settle down, and left to carry his swag again.
This coin is in Aluminium Bronze and not copper-nickel as the usual 50 cents circulating piece. No coins of this type were released into circulation. |