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 design was issued in the baby mint sets of the year only; three of the coins in the set are re-imagined versions of the "definitive" types and are designed as baby toys. The fifty-cent coin shows plush kangaroo and emu figures in place of the realistic animals supporting the Coat of Arms of the definitive design.
These coins are Non-Circulating Legal Tender (collector issue). No coins of this type have been released into circulation. |