| Coin | One Dollar 2019 Mr Squiggle - Rocket |
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The one dollar coin denomination (written as $1) was introduced in Australia in 1984, replacing the earlier banknotes. The original definitive type featuring five kangaroos has not been changed since its introduction and is still issued regularly.
Apart from the regular design, the Royal Australian Mint issues a large variety of circulating commemorative one dollar coins which have the same specifications and circulate in parallel with the definitive type - such as this one.
This one dollar coin is part of a seven-coin series issued by the Royal Australian Mint to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Mr Squiggle and Friends.
Generations of Australians have grown up with Mr Squiggle and his friends: Blackboard, Bill Steamshovel and Gus the Snail. From his home on the Moon, Mr Squiggle would visit Earth in his rocket to entertain children - with his gentle whimsy and wonderful talent for turning their squiggles into pictures with his pencil nose.
Created by cartoonist and puppeteer Norman Hetherington, the children’s television series Mr Squiggle ran on the ABC between 1959 and 1999. At its height, Mr Squiggle was one of the most popular children’s programs in Australia, receiving many thousands of squiggles each year from children around Australia.
The series contains four coloured $2 coins issued into circulation, two $1 coins meant to be for collectors only, as well as a special one cent coin - which is in a denomination that no longer circulated in Australia at the time of issue. |
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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The Queen also wears the Coronation Necklace; originally made for Queen Victoria in 1858, it was also worn at the coronations (as Queen's Consort) of Queen Alexandra in 1902, Queen Mary in 1911 and Queen Elizabeth (the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 2019.
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| Reverse | |
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The reverse design shows Mr Squiggle, the main character from the ABC children's show of the same name, sitting on a rocket. The rocket exhaust contains various animals: starfish, mouse, octopus, crab, fish, elephant, chicken, snails, spider, cow, kangaroo, rabbit and crow. Above right, the Moon and stars.
Around above, the value and denomination 1 DOLLAR. Around below, the inscription 60 YEARS OF MR SQUIGGLE. |
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| Reverse Inscription |
1 DOLLAR 60 YEARS OF MR SQUIGGLE |
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| Edge | Milled interrupted, in seven sections | Edge Inscription | None |
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| Notes | The coins were issued through a "corporate program" partnership between the mint and Woolworths Supermarkets, with customers receiving the $2 coins in their change. There were 365,000 mint sets containing the two $1 coins - which were only struck for the sets and were not supposed to be released into circulation. However, their mintage was relatively large for a collector set and not all of them were sold; the remaining sets were broken up and the coins in them given to Woolworths customers in change, so they ended up circulating for a while - after which they were hoarded by collectors and soon stopped showing up in change.
Note that the $1 coins were struck later and have the Queen's effigy by Jody Clark, unlike the $2 coins which still feature her portrait by Ian Rank-Broadley which was superseded halfway through the year. |
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