A beloved royal and creatures from the deep blue sea: Royal Australian Mint unveils first coin for 2023
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For coin connoisseurs, the coming of a new year is a significant time as it brings a chance to add a new coin to their collection.
Days into 2023, the Royal Australian Mint has released its most recent offering (the first minted coin in the world this year at that!), and it features a royal on one side.
But if you’re thinking it has to be the newly-crowned King Charles III, it’s not — it’s the beloved late Queen Elizabeth II!
If you remember, we shared news of the Royal Australian Mint’s final design for the departed monarch’s memorial coin which featured British engraver Jody Clark’s design.
In it, the Queen’s iconic profile could be seen staring sideways facing the right, as is traditional on coins. Encircling her are the words ‘1 Dollar’, ‘Australia 2023’, and ‘Elizabeth II 1952-2022’, which honours her 70-year reign.
In the meantime, as the Mint transitions to featuring King Charles III’s effigy in future releases, they said they will feature the Queen’s Memorial Obverse in produced coins.
The Queen’s portrait has appeared six times since her ascension from the throne, the first time being in 1953, a year after her ascension. All coins bearing her image will be in circulation and remain legal tender forever.
And now, from the beloved Queen, we go to the deep sea!
The other side of the Mint’s first coin of the year is a tribute to creatures of the Australian waters, aptly displayed with the text ‘Creatures of the Deep’.
The design features the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s (CSIRO) flagship vessel the Research Vessel Investigator along with rare deep sea finds such as the spiny king crab (wonder if this pairs well with butter and garlic… kidding!), the dumbo octopus, and the bigfin squid.
According to CSIRO Acting CEO Professor Elanor Huntington, there are still a lot of things left undiscovered in the deep ocean, which is considered one of the least-explored areas in the world.
‘So much of our deep ocean remains a mystery – we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our deepest oceans,’ she said.
‘It’s exciting that the 2023 new coin collection will celebrate this voyage and the significant contribution it has made to better understand life in our oceans.’
The unveiling of the coin also marked the return of avid coin collectors at the Royal Australian Mint since the start of the COVID pandemic.
‘After a two-year hiatus, we are excited to bring back this annual tradition and have members of the public gather in person to collect the first coins, as well as observe the exciting new theme of the collection – Creatures of the Deep,’ CEO Leigh Gordon said.
‘This year, we are celebrating the incredible discoveries of Australian scientists aboard the CSIRO’s Research Vessel Investigator.’
As part of celebrations with the unveiling of the new coin’s design, a young woman named Mina, an exchange student currently studying at the Australian National University in Canberra, took on the unique distinction of striking the world’s first minted coin in 2023.
Lucky you, Mina!
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh said the designs for the coins featuring King Charles III are expected to be revealed in the coming months, with coins bearing his effigy set for release late this year.
If you have time, you might want to read up on the risks Australia faces with making billions of dollars annually by printing notes.
Or you could also find out more about an Aussie icon featured in a coin that sent people into a frenzy last November!
So, what do you think of the Royal Australian Mint’s new design giving a nod to the late Queen Elizabeth II and our great scientists over at CSIRO?
Share your thoughts with us below!
Days into 2023, the Royal Australian Mint has released its most recent offering (the first minted coin in the world this year at that!), and it features a royal on one side.
But if you’re thinking it has to be the newly-crowned King Charles III, it’s not — it’s the beloved late Queen Elizabeth II!
If you remember, we shared news of the Royal Australian Mint’s final design for the departed monarch’s memorial coin which featured British engraver Jody Clark’s design.
In it, the Queen’s iconic profile could be seen staring sideways facing the right, as is traditional on coins. Encircling her are the words ‘1 Dollar’, ‘Australia 2023’, and ‘Elizabeth II 1952-2022’, which honours her 70-year reign.
In the meantime, as the Mint transitions to featuring King Charles III’s effigy in future releases, they said they will feature the Queen’s Memorial Obverse in produced coins.
The Royal Australian Mint unveiled the design for the late Queen’s memorial coin in December of 2022. Image Credit: Royal Australian Mint
The Queen’s portrait has appeared six times since her ascension from the throne, the first time being in 1953, a year after her ascension. All coins bearing her image will be in circulation and remain legal tender forever.
And now, from the beloved Queen, we go to the deep sea!
The other side of the Mint’s first coin of the year is a tribute to creatures of the Australian waters, aptly displayed with the text ‘Creatures of the Deep’.
The design features the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation’s (CSIRO) flagship vessel the Research Vessel Investigator along with rare deep sea finds such as the spiny king crab (wonder if this pairs well with butter and garlic… kidding!), the dumbo octopus, and the bigfin squid.
According to CSIRO Acting CEO Professor Elanor Huntington, there are still a lot of things left undiscovered in the deep ocean, which is considered one of the least-explored areas in the world.
‘So much of our deep ocean remains a mystery – we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our deepest oceans,’ she said.
‘It’s exciting that the 2023 new coin collection will celebrate this voyage and the significant contribution it has made to better understand life in our oceans.’
The other side of the Royal Australian Mint’s maiden coin for 2023 features a design inspired by the deep sea. Image Credit: Royal Australian Mint
The unveiling of the coin also marked the return of avid coin collectors at the Royal Australian Mint since the start of the COVID pandemic.
‘After a two-year hiatus, we are excited to bring back this annual tradition and have members of the public gather in person to collect the first coins, as well as observe the exciting new theme of the collection – Creatures of the Deep,’ CEO Leigh Gordon said.
‘This year, we are celebrating the incredible discoveries of Australian scientists aboard the CSIRO’s Research Vessel Investigator.’
As part of celebrations with the unveiling of the new coin’s design, a young woman named Mina, an exchange student currently studying at the Australian National University in Canberra, took on the unique distinction of striking the world’s first minted coin in 2023.
Lucky you, Mina!
Meanwhile, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Andrew Leigh said the designs for the coins featuring King Charles III are expected to be revealed in the coming months, with coins bearing his effigy set for release late this year.
Or you could also find out more about an Aussie icon featured in a coin that sent people into a frenzy last November!
So, what do you think of the Royal Australian Mint’s new design giving a nod to the late Queen Elizabeth II and our great scientists over at CSIRO?
Share your thoughts with us below!
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