Australian Coins & Banknotes Trivia

1. In which year was the first Australian One Pound note released by the Federal Government? It might be a little later than you think!

From Quiz Making a note downunder - Australian Banknotes

Answer: 1913

Prior to the Constitution of Australia coming into force on January 1, 1901, there was no country called Australia, but rather each state was its own entity. The 'Australian Notes Act' of 1910 provided the basis for the printing of Australian bank notes. In 1913, the largely grey-coloured One Pound note was released and featured the Australian Coat of Arms, which had been created by Andrew Fisher's 1912 Federal Government. Controversially, there was no image of the monarch, King George V. The reverse featured a mining scene. The first Australian postage stamps (The 'Kangaroo and Map of Australia' series) were first released in 1913 as well. The other two dates are also important in Australia history: 1788 was the landing of the first fleet of British settlers and 1854 was the miner's rebellion, the Eureka Stockade.

From Quiz The "Everything $1 and Under" Quiz

Answer: 1992

The 1- and 2-cent coins of Australia were removed from the currency system in February 1992, because the metal the coins were made from was more expensive than the value of the coins. Both coins were made primarily from copper, with small amounts of zinc and tin. The 1-cent coin featured a feathertail glider on one side, and the 2-cent coin had a frill-necked lizard. After circulation of the coins was ceased, the remaining coins were melted down and became the bronze medals for the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

From Quiz Australia's Early Coinage [2]

Answer: 1925, 1930, 1946

The 1930 penny, the "King" of Australian coins had an approximate mintage of just 3000, only around 1500 survive today and they can command hundreds of thousands of dollars. The second rarest date with a mintage of 117,000 is the 1925 and third is the 1946 with a mintage of 363,000 coins. Most other dates have mintages in the millions - in some cases tens of millions.

From Quiz Australia's Early Coinage [1]

Answer: 1813

In 1813, to help ease the crippling lack of coinage in the colony, Governor Macquarie ordered that 40,000 newly acquired Spanish silver dollars would have their centres cut out. The outer ring of the coin became the Holey Dollar and was valued at 5 shillings, the centre, the Dump, was valued at 15 pence. "Defacing" the coins in this way insured they were of little value to traders and would therefore stay in the colony. Both coins are marked "New South Wales 1813".

From Quiz Australians Coins Currently in Circulation

Answer: 1 cent and 2 cent

The 1 cent and 2 cent coins were taken out of circulation in the 1990s. This was due to the increasing cost in producing them compared to their relative value. Prices on shelves in grocery stores will still end in 'odd' amounts however the price is rounded to the nearest 5 cent off the total cost at point of sale. However, if you are paying electronically the store will still charge you the pre-rounded figure. Also, if you have a bankable amount of 1 cent or 2 cent coins ($1 increments) stores may accept them.

From Quiz Australian Numismatics

Answer: Penny

Minted in the depths of the depression, only about 3,000 1930 Pennies are thought to exist.

From Quiz Making a note downunder - Australian Banknotes

Answer: 10 Shillings

The ten shilling note was first released in 1913. The blue-grey note featured the Australian Coat of Arms on the front (obverse) and a picture of the Goulburn Weir (Victoria) on the back (reverse). Two years later this note had an overprinted 'Half Sovereign' added. Ten shillings was half a sovereign. The note was reprinted with different designs as a Half Sovereign in 1923 and 1926, then reverted to Ten Shillings in 1933. In 1938 a new design was released featuring the new monarch, King George VI. In 1953, the obverse featured the explorer Matthew Flinders. This was the final Ten Shilling note design released. A Five Shilling note, featuring King George V was printed in 1913 but never released into circulation. Prior to the release of the Australian banknotes, other legal tender was issued by private banks and state governments.

From Quiz Collectable Commemorative Coins

Answer: Portrait of Captain Cook and Australia's east coast

Captain Cook landed at Botany Bay after he first sighted Australia in 1770. He sailed up the East coast naming bays and mountains until they hit the Great Barrier Reef. Cook was forced to beach his ship in a river he named the Endeavour (of course) until a hole in the hull could be repaired.

From Quiz Australia's Early Coinage [1]

Answer: Adelaide

There were two main variations of the 1852 Adelaide pound, the dies used to mint the first coins were found to have a small crack through the legend on one side. A revised die was then used to mint the bulk of the coins that were issued. Coins minted with the first die, the "Type One" Adelaide pounds are much rarer than their "Type Two" counterparts.

From Quiz Collectable Commemorative Coins

Answer: Commonwealth Games

During September and October of 1982, Brisbane hosted athletes from forty-six nations at the XII Commonwealth Games. Matilda, the giant motorised kangaroo, featured in the opening and closing ceremonies. While the officials lauded the idea, many Aussies (me included) cringed when she made her appearance.

From Quiz Australia's Early Coinage [1]

Answer: 1855

Sovereigns with this reverse design were minted between 1855 and 1870. Trial pieces were minted in 1853 but never issued.

From Quiz Australians Coins Currently in Circulation

Answer: 2005

This was celebrating the 60th anniversary of the end of WWII. Following declaration of peace on 15 August 1945, a news reel was taken of a man removing his hat and dancing down the street. This news reel has now reached iconic status in Australia. The identity of the man dancing down the street has been the subject of contention, however a likely contender is barrister Frank McAlary. Other contenders included Ern Hill and Patrick Blackall.

From Quiz Australian Numismatics

Answer: Five

A florin is worth two shillings. The 1938 crown is about five times as valuable as the one issued a year previous. (The crown is only very slightly thicker and larger than an American silver dollar).

From Quiz Making a note downunder - Australian Banknotes

Answer: Royal

Robert Menzies was Australian Prime Minister from 1939 to 1941 and again from 1949 to 1966 and was an ardent royalist. He famously said "I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die", referring to Queen Elizabeth II (the quote is actually from a 1607 poem by Thomas Ford). When the push for decimalization became very strong in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Liberal Government of Menzies (with Treasurer and future PM Harold Holt) pushed the 'Royal' as the name for the new currency to reflect the close links between the two countries. However, this met a lot of public disapproval and eventually the government relented and 'Dollar' was chosen ahead of other options, including some like 'Digger' and 'Boomer' emanating from a public poll.

From Quiz The "Everything $1 and Under" Quiz

Answer: Copper

In 5-, 10-, 20- and 50-cent coins, the main ingredient is cupronickel, an alloy of copper and nickel (commonly in a 75/25 proportion), and sometimes containing trace amounts of manganese. Despite the large amount of copper, the colour of cupronickel is silver.

From Quiz Collectable Commemorative Coins

Answer: Sir Edward Dunlop

Sir Edward "Weary" Dunlop was chosen to represent the many heroes of the second World War. "Weary" was a doctor who worked with the Australian troops captured by the Japanese in Singapore. While prisoners, the troops were forced to build a railway from Burma to Thailand, and many would have perished in the conditions if not for the tireless work of "Weary" Dunlop.

From Quiz Australia's Early Coinage [2]

Answer: 1923 & 23

Although more than a million half pennies were minted in 1923, only 15,000 used the 1923 dies. The vast majority were created with dies bearing the previous year's date. Examples of this coin range in value from several hundred to several thousand dollars.

From Quiz Australians Coins Currently in Circulation

Answer: 2003 - Centenary of women's suffrage

On 16 December 1903, eligible women over the age of 21 were entitled to the right to vote and to stand as a candidate in an election. In 2003, the Australian Mint also released a special coin celebrating the volunteers in Australia. 2001 was the official International Year of the Volunteer, however a lot of attention was given to the Centenary of Federation that year. (1999 was a red herring). 1999 was the official Year of the Older Person.

From Quiz Australian Numismatics

Answer: round

It was made out of pure silver until the coin's metal became more valuable than the 50 cents written on it!

From Quiz Making a note downunder - Australian Banknotes

Answer: $2

The green $2 note was introduced with three others ($1, $10, $20) when decimal currency became legal tender on the 14th February 1966. It remained largely unchanged until its withdrawal in 1988, when it was replaced by a $2 coin. There was a change in wording on the note in 1974 where the original 'Commonwealth of Australia' was replaced by 'Australia' and the legal tender phrase was altered to 'This Australian Note is legal tender throughout Australia and its territories'. John Macarthur (1767-1834) was a British officer and early pioneer settler in Australia and is recognized for his major role in establishing the sheep industry (including the prized merino wool) which has been a major component of the Australian economy since the mid-nineteenth century. The reverse of the note features English-born William Farrer (1845-1906) who was a leading agronomist. One of his greatest contributions was development of the 'Federation' wheat strain in 1903, leading to a three-fold increase in Australian wheat production over the next twenty years.

From Quiz The "Everything $1 and Under" Quiz

Answer: Australian Coat of Arms

The 50-cent coin, first minted in 1969, is a twelve-sided (dodecagonal) coin featuring the Australian Coat of Arms on one side, and the head of Queen Elizabeth II on the other. At first, the 50-cent coin was round and made of roughly 20% copper and 80% silver, but as the price of silver rose, the composition changed to 75% copper and 25% nickel. It is the heaviest of the Australian coins.

From Quiz Australia's Early Coinage [1]

Answer: Canberra

Canberra did not yet exist in the 19th century, as it wasn't established until 1913. The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra officially opened in 1965, coinciding with the introduction of decimal currency the following year.

From Quiz Australians Coins Currently in Circulation

Answer: Sir Don Bradman

Retiring with a Test Average of 99.94, Sir Donald Bradman died in 2001. At this time, no other player in the history of cricket has averaged over 65 in international cricket. Bradman played 52 Tests for Australia and was team captain for 24. Banjo Patterson is a renowned poet (Man from Snowy River, Man from Ironbark, Clancy of the Overflow). Charles Kingsford-Smith was a distinguished pilot in WWI and was the first pilot to fly non-stop across Australia. Sir Henry Parkes, the "Father of Federation" was Premier of NSW (five times) and was an advocate in having the colonies join together as one nation under a central government. He died in 1896, before Federation occurred.

From Quiz Australian Numismatics

Answer: kangaroo

The dollar coin replaced the brown and orange banknote featuring the Queen's portrait.

From Quiz Making a note downunder - Australian Banknotes

Answer: Aviation

Both the obverse and reverse of the original 1966 $20 note featured Australian aviators. On the front was 'Smithy' - Sir Charles Kingsford-Smith (1897 - 1935) - who was the first person to fly across the Pacific from the USA to Australia. He was the first to make that journey in the reverse direction and the first to fly to New Zealand. A World War I pilot, he also set a record of 10.5 days flying from Australia to England. He disappeared during a flight to Burma in 1935. The back of the note featured Lawrence Hargrave (1850-1915), an engineer and inventor. His visionary designs included box kites that could support humans and gliders. Inspiring Alexander Graham Bell amongst many others, he eschewed patenting his designs, preferring to work for the advancement of humanity. The reverse of the 1994 $20 note features the Reverend John Flynn (1880-1951). Flynn's impact on remote Australia was profound as he established both the Presbyterian Inland Mission to tend to the spiritual needs of those far from main population centres but also the Royal Flying Doctor Service - the world's first aerial ambulance. Remote stations would have makeshift runways so planes could land with a doctor on board to tend to those seriously sick or injured.

From Quiz The "Everything $1 and Under" Quiz

Answer: Canada

A platypus swimming in water is depicted on the 20-cent coin, as it has been since 1966. The Royal Australian Mint could not cope with the large number of 20-cent coins required in 1981, so some coins where minted at the Royal Mint in London and the Royal Canadian Mint, both of these countries being Commonwealth nations.

From Quiz Collectable Commemorative Coins

Answer: Stylised Australian flag

This coin has a stylised Australian flag with "Millennium Year" printed to the side. If you are a collector, try to find an incused coin. The incused variety of coins were meant for collector sets, but none were struck. It was later revealed that around 200,000 coins were struck with the incused design and released into general circulation. These coins therefore have the potential to be a rarity in the future.

From Quiz Australia's Early Coinage [2]

Answer: kangaroo & roo

The "39 'Roo" is a much rarer coin than it's "Commonwealth" counterpart, with mintages of 782,000 and 4,670,000 respectively. The penny of this year was the kangaroo version only.

From Quiz Australia's Early Coinage [1]

Answer: Three pence, six pence, shilling, florin

The four silver coins were introduced in 1910. The bronze half penny and penny were introduced in 1911.

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Last Updated Nov 02 2024 5:49 AM

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