Obverse. Photo © Royal Australian Mint
  • 1 Dollar 2019, Australia, Elizabeth II, The Great Aussie Coin Hunt, U - Ute
  • 1 Dollar 2019, Australia, Elizabeth II, The Great Aussie Coin Hunt, U - Ute
Description

In 2019 - following the great success of the Royal Mint in the United Kingdom with the 10 pence A to Z Collection - the Royal Australian Mint (RAM), in collaboration with Australia Post, started a similar campaign, The Great Aussie Coin Hunt. A series of 26 $1 coins feature each letter of the English alphabet and an Australian symbol starting with that letter. The designs range from didgeridoos and quokkas to products deemed by many as the culinary epitome of Australian culture — meat pies and lamingtons. Brand names such as Weet-Bix, Iced VoVos and Zooper Doopers feature on the coins, with the famed Ramsay Street sign from TV soap Neighbours also making an appearance. Everyone can join in the hunt by going into any one of the 3,600 participating Post Offices, making a purchase and receiving the $1 collectable coins in their change.

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 2019
IRB

Reverse

Depicts a utility car with an open tray. There are 12 thin concave lines with identical curvatures and 3 thick concave lines with identical curvatures.

A ute, originally an abbreviation for "utility" or "coupé utility", is a term used in Australia to describe vehicles with a tray behind the passenger compartment, that can be driven with a regular driver's license.

Traditionally the term referred to vehicles built on passenger car chassis and with the cargo tray integrated with the passenger body. However, present-day usage of the term "ute" in Australia has expanded to include any vehicle with an open cargo area at the rear; which would be called a pickup truck in other countries.

The Australian ute is claimed to have been invented by Ford in 1934; however, similar vehicles had been in production in the United States since the 1920s. Australia has developed a culture around utes, particularly in rural areas with events known as Ute musters.

U
ONE DOLLAR • UTE

Edge

7 sections

Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Circulating)
Material Aluminium Bronze
Weight 9 g
Diameter 25 mm
Thickness 2.5 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Royal Australian Mint (RAM)

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