Obverse. Photo © Downies
  • 50 Cents 2007, KM# 1041, Australia, Elizabeth II, 60th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
  • 50 Cents 2007, KM# 1041, Australia, Elizabeth II, 60th Wedding Anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip
Description

The 2007 60th Royal Wedding Anniversary 50c coin was released by the Royal Australian Mint as a collector coin not intended for general circulation (NCLT or non-circulating legal tender).

It commemorates Queen Elizabeth II's 60th Wedding Anniversary to Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. The wedding took place at Westminster Abbey on the 20th November 1947, and was regarded as an important state occasion.

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

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 2007
IRB

Reverse

Depicts silhouettes of the couple above a radiant diamond signifying their 60th wedding anniversary. The wording 'Elizabeth and Philip 60th Wedding Anniversary Fifty Cents" is depicted around. The design is surrounded by sixty royal trumpets.

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark; 1921–2021), was a member of the British royal family as the husband of Elizabeth II. The longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch and the longest-lived male member of the British royal family, he retired from his royal duties on 2 August 2017, aged 96, having completed 22,219 solo engagements and 5,493 speeches since 1952. Philip had four children with Elizabeth: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward. A keen sports enthusiast, Philip helped develop the equestrian event of carriage driving. He was a patron of over 800 organisations and served as chairman of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme for people aged 14 to 24.

ELIZABETH
AND
PHILLIP
60th
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
FIFTY CENTS

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-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)