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 Item: Royal Australian Mint 2010 1966 Decimal Currency Heritage Set (Includes coin designs as issued in 1966, and replica s in casts of several decimal patterns)

Issue Mint: Royal Australian Mint

Legal Tender:  Australian 1c x1, 2c x1, 5c x1, 10c x1, 20c x1, 50c x1

Mintage: 400 sets

Material: Base Metal

Condition: Brand New in Original Issue Condition.

Official Issue Price: $695 (Sold Out at Mint)

Theme Background:

Many Australians have coins in their pocket, but few give a thought to how the designs of our unique currency came to be. When the Commonwealth Government announced in 1963 that it would introduce a decimal currency system, the process of transition from the incumbent British system was put into motion. Six artists were commissioned to produce designs for the new 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c and 20c coins. An Advisory Panel on Coin Design was established to assess the proposed designs and to ensure that they reflected strong artistic design and modern minting techniques.

The commissioned artists were Gordon Andrews, who went on to design Australia’s first decimal notes; Richard Beck, best known for his design for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics poster; Stuart Devlin, a gold and silversmith now well known for coin designs internationally; Eileen Mayo, who designed several Australian stamps; Andor Meszaros, who became a well-known medal designer; and John Saxton, a prominent artist and educator.

Initial sketches were submitted by the artists, and those that were approved by the Advisory Panel were made into plaster sculptures, known as ‘plasters’. Many of the entries followed themes of native Australian flora and fauna, but it was Stuart Devlin’s now-familiar designs that were chosen to grace the reverse of the new coins. Devlin’s themed set included the Feather-tail Glider, the Frill Necked Lizard, the Echidna, the Lyrebird and the Platypus.

The coins in this 2010 Decimal Pattern Heritage set have been produced by the Royal Australian Mint. The original 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c and 50c coin designs are included, accompanied by replica ‘resin casts’ of some alternative designs by commissioned artists.