2015 Six Coin Proof Set - 50th Anniversary of the Royal Australian Mint

The annual tradition of year sets of Australian coins continues and in 2015 marks a very special milestone for the Mint. On Royal Australian Mint's golden anniversary, this proof set celebrates 50 years of producing coins which have been collected and cherished by generations of Australians.

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE
On 22 February 1965, the Royal Australian Mint was opened by His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. This heralded the start of a new era: the ?rst wholly Australian-operated mint, established to manufacture the coins that would become such a strong part of Australia’s identity after the changeover
to decimal currency.

Since that day, over 14 billion circulating coins have been produced at the Mint, becoming iconic works of art which have traversed the entire country. From Stuart Devlin’s acclaimed fauna designs and Horst Hahne’s digni?ed image of an Indigenous elder, to the commemorative coins honouring sigini?cant events and dates, these pieces have re?ected the story of a proud and thriving nation. In this year of celebrating the Mint’s 50th anniversary, this set featuring a gold plated 50 cent coin will become treasured by casual and serious coin collectors who will appreciate the signi?cance of this milestone.

FEATURES AND DESIGN
• Details of the historical signi?cance of the Royal Australian Mint
• A new gold plated 50 cent coin design, featuring a honeycomb to symbolise the ‘worker bees’ who tirelessly produce Australia’s coins on a daily basis
• Obverse of each coin features Queen Elizabeth II e?gy sculpted by Ian Rank-Broadley
• Australian legal tender