After the buzz at yesterdays 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages 50c coin launch it was great to once again trek into Adelaide City with my guide dog in training Pupstar Tully. Having to rely on public transport we arrived in Rundle Mall well prepared with the idea that we’d be carrying home a lot of change! Having planned for a fair bit of waiting in a queue we were surprised to find the best scenario of a no-wait queue! I’m told the crowd and long wait had been and gone since opening at 8am when we arrived around 9:30. This made for quite an easy “get to the end of the line” pirouette to purchase or rather swap cash for coins.

Royal Australian Mint (RAM) happy friendly staff had both new commemorative coins available, the 2019 International Year of Indigenous languages 50c and the 2019 100 years of Repatriation red coloured $2 coin. All in $10 sachets limits at the time were 10 each per person per lineup (or pirouette). The RAM pop-up shop was conveniently located directly opposite the Commonwealth Bank with it’s 5 ATM’s, how appropriate. After we’d made our swaps we returned home myself now the packhorse. Back home just in time for morning tea!

Today in the Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Institute in the centre of Adelaide I was invited to attend the launch of this hot off the press commemorative 50 cent coin. This coin struck by the Royal Australian Mint celebrates 2019 as the International Year of Indigenous Languages and this Australian coin design incorporates 14 different translations of the word coin or money in the indigenous languages spoken by these groups around the country. Designed by the Mints own Aleksandra Stokic the 50 cent can be found in circulation, can be purchased in frosted unc in a card or fine silver proof. The obverse features the IRB (Ian Rank-Broadley) portrait of the Queen.

Unveiling the coin is probably not the right word as Mint CEO Ross MacDiarmid announced the new release speaking next to a giant 50 cent piece -quite the centrepiece and a bit too hard to hide. The highlight was local Kaurna man Jack Buckskin who spoke with his gorgeous children by his side just a little too starstruck to dance. We clapped the entertainment just the same. Jacks boys were sweethearts. Opening our eyes to the broad and diverse languages was speaker Professor Jaky Troy, a Ngarigu woman from the Snowy Mountains where I myself grew up. Being a UNESCO declared year of Indigenous Languages chair of this steering committee and AIATSIS (Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies) CEO Craig Ritchie also spoke today. Following the formalities was a delicious offering of finger sandwiches and delightful sweet snacks next to the gallery we could then browse.

Did someone say coin swap…..where….when….and more importantly what? The Royal Australian Mint are having coin swap events this Wednesday in many major capital cities. Swap (cash only) money in your wallet or purse for new money, the latest circulating coins at the locations detailed below. New releases, still under media lockdown (at the time this article was written, see images above added later) include a new 50c being officially launched on Tuesday and a coloured $2 coin with vague details this will all become clearer soon.

Wednesday 10th April 8.00am to 2.00pm
CANBERRA: Royal Australian Mint, Canberra
SYDNEY: Centenary Square, Parramatta
BRISBANE: Southbank, Brisbane (southern end of Stanley Street Plaza)
MELBOURNE: Federation Square (Swanston Street Forecourt)
ADELAIDE: Rundle Mall (near Novo store)

April fool 2019!!

Always innovative The Royal Australian Mint has just announced the worlds first self inflationary coin to be struck today! The coins are as thick as the two dollar coin, but slightly larger than the dollar coin. The new coin will be a five dollar denomination and made in a new composition of hardened soap. A spokesperson for the Mint is reported to say during the long hot Aussie summer inflation should be as slow as a Koala. But in the tropical wet and West Australian winters the inflation might be faster, perhaps as fast as Goanna on fire! The coins will be taken out of circulation when they reach a value of ten dollars. Health departments in all states are happy with the innovation, saying “its a ripper bonus as the hygiene of the nation will improve as cleaner transactions appear everywhere, besides we will all have clean hands!” The numismatic community are awash with anticipation for this release, check the Royal Australian Mint website for details of how to get your hands on this new coin release.

Written by Guest Author Jonathon de Hadleigh, Edited by the Australian Coin Collecting Blog

A new coloured coin series featuring Mr Squiggle and his friends will appear in Woolworths supermarkets from February 13th. The man from the moon with a pencil for a nose Mr Squiggle will feature on the first coloured 2 dollar coin appearing in change in the same fashion as the Commonwealth Games coins did last year. Over 4 weeks Woolworths will release into circulation four coloured $2 coins with the help of Armaguard and the Royal Australian Mint. The first of Mr Squiggle himself, followed by Bill (the Steam Shovel), Gus (the Snail) and Blackboard. A complete collection set can also be purchased featuring these 4 coins as well as two special 60 years of Mr Squiggle one dollar coins and a flying rocket 1 cent coin. A sneaky snippet appeared in this weeks Woolworths catalogue to build some excitement!

Coin Fair! Coin Fair! Coin Fair! Who doesn’t like a coin fair. Not us, we love them. Especially when they are coin fairs you attend almost by accident when you’re on holidays. On the first Sunday of each month the Northern Suburbs Coin and Stamp Fair is held at the Moonee Ponds Bowling Club in Moonee Ponds. Open from 9AM to 2PM the fair is organised by Steele Waterman of S&T Collectables. It has grown from from a single coin dealer event to what it is now, a monthly show with 5-10 local dealers in attendance.

Steele’s table was right by the entrance and he greeted each person entering in his usual jovial fashion. Those selling and buying coins were locals, including Comm Coinage, various members of the Numismatic Association of Victoria, members of the Geelong Numismatic Society, Neil the Coin Enthusiast (we kid you not), and a couple of others whose names we didn’t catch. You can see images of the room below.

There was an eclectic mix of material at the show. Items of interest we saw included a book on polymer notes we’ve not seen before, a lovely collection of Australian pre-decimal coins that had obviously been put together with care, Steele Waterman’s usual HUGE array of world coins, and some nice PCGS graded $2 coins. Of course it was (and always is) fun to talk to other coin collectors and that was probably the highlight of the day. That and the icy cold can of Solo from the bar and the leisurely walk around the lake out the back of the bowling club once we were done.

If you’re a coin collector looking for something to do on the first Sunday of every month then take the trip out to Moonee Ponds to the Northern Suburbs Coin and Stamp Fair. Admission is free, the venue is nice, and it’s super easy to get to. What’s not to like?