Silver Half Ounce 2013 War in the Pacific - Australian American Memorial, Coin from Australia - detailed information

The Australian half ounce silver piece (abbreviated as 1/2 oz and designated with Ag for "silver") is a bullion and commemorative coin format. Uniquely, in Australia there are two mints authorised to strike legal tender: the Royal Australian Mint (which also makes the country's circulating coinage) and the Perth Mint which only makes collector and bullion coins, as well as other bullion products.

Both mints endeavour to create coins with attractive designs, and to introduce new designs and themes often, in order to raise the numismatic value of the coins over the value of previous metal used.

This coin is part of a series commemorating the Australian participation in World War II - the War in the Pacific, as the Pacific Ocean theatre of this war is called. This design marks the alliance between the United States of America and Australia, and depicts the Australian - American Memorial in Canberra.

The memorial, unveiled by Queen Elizabeth II in 1954, is a hollow, octagonal, tapered column with a steel framework sheeted with aluminium panels that were sandblasted to give the appearance of stone. Two murals feature at the base, one relating the story of American combat in the Pacific and the other a profile map of the United States in copper. The column is surrounded by a water-filled moat about 3 metres. The column is topped with a bronze sphere surmounted by a stylised figure of the American eagle by the distinguished sculptor and Royal Navy veteran, Paul Beadle. The Memorial's height is 79 metres; the eagle and sphere are together around 11 metres high and weigh 3.5 tons.