Australia Elizabeth II 50 Cents

History

50 Cents 2000, KM# 488.1, Australia, Elizabeth II, Third Millennium

Obverse. Photo © Downies

Description

This 50c coin was released into circulation celebrating the turn of the century, the transition from the second to the third millennium. Released by the Royal Australian Mint this fifty cent can be found in circulation, in the 2000 mint set and colourised (pad-printing technology) in the 2000 proof set.

Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 1926–2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and of 14 other Commonwealth realms. Her reign of 70 years and seven months, which began on 6 February 1952, was the longest of any British monarch in history.

When her father died in February 1952, Elizabeth—then 25 years old—became queen regnant of seven independent Commonwealth countries: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (Sri Lanka), as well as Head of the Commonwealth. Elizabeth reigned as a constitutional monarch through major political changes such as the Troubles in Northern Ireland, devolution in the United Kingdom, the decolonisation of Africa, and the United Kingdom's accession to the European Communities and withdrawal from the European Union. The number of her realms varied over time as territories have gained independence and some realms have become republics.

Times of personal significance have included the births and marriages of her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren, her coronation in 1953 and the celebrations of her Silver, Golden, Diamond, and Platinum jubilees in 1977, 2002, 2012, and 2022, respectively.

Obverse	Crown, jewelry Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara Person (king, queen, tsar etc.) Elizabeth II Fourth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage. Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2000
Reverse	Flag Australia A stylized Australian flag with the large legend “Millennium Year” and “50 Cents”. The Australian flag consists of the Union Jack in the top left, the 7 pointed federation star below, and the constellation ‘The Southern Cross’ to the right. Incuse Flag Variety: Some time after release it was noticed that the flag on some coins was slightly different to that on others. On the normal design the central cross of the Union Jack (the cross of Saint Andrew) was in relief (that is it projected out from the surface of the coin). On the less common variety the cross was incuse (that is sunk into the surface of the coin). There’s also a difference in the Federation Star on both types. The Federation Star is the large seven pointed star under the Union Jack on the flag. On the normal variety of the Australian 2000 Millennium fifty cent the surface of the star is noticeably rougher than that on the incuse flag 50 cent. Information from the Royal Australian Mint is that they produced one incuse die which was intended for coins used in Mint Sets. This decision was later overturned and a single die pair production run sent approximately 200,000 coins into circulation . Engraver: Vladimir Gottwald MILLENIUM YEAR 50 CENTS
Edge	Plain

50 Cents

4th portrait

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2000 Australia

Third Millennium

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Elizabeth II

KM# 488.1

Characteristics

Type	Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material	Cupronickel
Weight	15.55 g
Diameter	31.5 mm
Thickness	3 mm
Shape	polygon
Sides	12
Alignment	Medal
Mint	Royal Australian Mint (RAM)