Silver Half Ounce 2020 The Seven Sisters, 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 is the second release in a Royal Australian Mint series called Star Dreaming and is dedicated to the stellar constellation of the Pleiades, also known as The Seven Sisters.

The Pleiades are the star cluster closest to the Earth with a distance between 434 and 446 light years. Each of the stars is more than one hundred times brighter than our sun. Numerous myths and tales entwine around the seven stars. One version, often the subject of Aboriginal drawings, is about seven sisters fleeing from unwanted male attention.

The Aboriginal culture is considered the oldest civilisation in the world. In addition, the Australian Aborigines were probably the first astronomers - they used the stars as maps, for weather forecasting, as calendars and last but not least as the basis for their stories. The reverse of the silver coin shows a representation of the Seven Stars in the sky. The design was created by Christine "Jugarnu" Collard of the Wajarri-Noongar tribe. The star-studded night sky is depicted in colour.