2026 Australia 60th Anniversary of Decimal Currency 11.66g Silver Coin

In 2026, the Royal Australian Mint celebrates the sixtieth anniversary of Australian decimal currency by exploring six decades of our shared numismatic history.

Australia in the 1960s was a young country wanting to assert itself on the world stage. The changeover to decimal currency was a symbolic and practical part of this. The government’s public education campaign, with the adorable cartoon character “Dollar Bill”, helped Australians make the changeover on 14 February 1966 without a hitch. While Stuart Devlin’s iconic and enduring circulating coin designs remain a timeless testament to this aspirational endeavour.

Since then the Mint and Australian coins have adapted to the changing times and requirements. The original round, and 80 per cent silver, 50c coin was updated to cupronickel and given its distinctive 12 sided dodecagon shape from 1969. The $1 coin was introduced in 1984, followed by the $2 coin in 1988. While the 1c and 2c coins were withdrawn from circulation in 1992.

Highlights

• Coin’s reverse celebrates Australian decimal currency by elegantly combining design elements from all eight standard circulating coins.
• Displayed in a presentation case with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity
• Coin’s obverse features the effigy of King Charles III designed by Daniel Thorne

Design

This coin combines design elements from all eight of Australia’s standard circulating coins released since 1966, while the packaging celebrates Australia’s historic Changeover Day. Look closely and you’ll find a possum, a frilled neck lizard, a platypus, a lyre bird, an echidna, a kangaroo, an emu and the Southern Cross constellation. The ribbon design also takes its inspiration from the 50c coin.

Check out the full range of international coins here.