Silver Quarter Ounce 1990 The Dump - Mimi Spirits, Coin from Australia - detailed information

The Australian quarter ounce silver piece (abbreviated as 1/4 oz and designated with Ag for "silver") is a bullion and commemorative coin format; it has face value of 25 cents. 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 the third "Holey Dollar" and "Dump" set issued by the Perth Mint.

The set contains two coins: a large (one ounce) coin with the shape of a ring, and a small "dump" which fits within the whole of the large coin. They are styled after the Holey Dollar and the dump, which were a form of emergency money in the colony of New South Wales. In 1813, in order to overcome a shortage of circulating coinage, the colonial government authorised the cutting out of a small piece (the dump) from a quantity of Spanish 8 Reales coins ("Spanish dollar), with the resulting two pieces being over-stamped as five shillings on the ring, and fifteen pence on the dump.

The 1990 set portrays fishing men, and Mimi spirits. Mimis (or Mimih spirits) are fairy-like beings of Arnhem Land in the folklore of the Aboriginal Australians of northern Australia. They are described as having extremely thin and elongated bodies, so thin as to be in danger of breaking in case of a high wind. To avoid this, they usually spend most of their time living in rock crevices. According to Aboriginal folklore, Mimi had human form and made the first rock paintings before the Aboriginal people first came to northern Australia. The Mimi taught the Aboriginal people how to paint, and how to hunt and cook kangaroo meat. The Mimis are considered to be mischievous but generally harmless.