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 circulating commemorative dollar coin is part of the The Great Aussie Coin Hunt 2 campaign - a series of 26 different $1 coins where each features a letter of the English alphabet and an Australian symbol starting with that letter. The coin for the letter S features the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The Sydney Harbour Bridge is an Australian heritage-listed steel through arch bridge across Sydney Harbour that carries rail, vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian traffic between the Sydney central business district (CBD) and the North Shore. The view of the bridge, the harbour, and the nearby Sydney Opera House is widely regarded as an iconic image of Sydney, and of Australia itself. The bridge is nicknamed "The Coathanger" because of its arch-based design. It was designed and built by British firm Dorman Long of Middlesbrough, who based the design on their 1928 Tyne Bridge in Newcastle upon Tyne, and opened in 1932. |