The one dollar coin denomination (written as $1) was introduced in Australia in 1984, replacing the earlier banknotes. The original reverse design by Stuart Devlin on circulating coins has not been changed since its introduction. The denomination is also often used to issue circulating commemorative coins with various reverses.
The denomination is also used by both the Royal Australian Mint and the Perth Mint to issue an extensive range of collector coins which are legal tender in Australia but are not intended for circulation - such as this one. The coin is larger than the normal $1 coins.
This coin is part of the Perth Mint's Australian Bush Babies II featuring the babies of various native animals of Australia, and depicts a baby Platypus (the 'II' in the name of the series indicates this is the second year it was issued; the first was in 2011).
The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus), sometimes referred to as the duck-billed platypus, is a semiaquatic, egg-laying mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. The platypus is the sole living representative of its family (Ornithorhynchidae) and genus (Ornithorhynchus), though a number of related species appear in the fossil record.
Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young; they are all native to Australia. Like other monotremes, it senses prey through electrolocation. It is one of the few species of venomous mammals, as the male platypus has a spur on the hind foot that delivers a venom, capable of causing severe pain to humans. The unusual appearance of this egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed mammal baffled European naturalists when they first encountered it, and the first scientists to examine a preserved platypus body (in 1799) judged it a fake, made of several animals sewn together.
The unique features of the platypus make it an important subject in the study of evolutionary biology, and a recognisable and iconic symbol of Australia. It is culturally significant to several Aboriginal peoples of Australia, who also used to hunt the animal for food. It has appeared as a mascot at national events and features on the reverse of the Australian twenty-cent coin.
The coins were issued either in a presentation card on in a PNC. |