Buy Royal Australian Mint Coins

The Royal Australian mint, the sole producer of all of Australia's circulating coins, is located in the Australian Federal Capital City of Canberra. The Casa de la Moneda was opened in 1965 and is a very popular tourist destination for visitors and locals.

Before the opening of the Australian Mint, Australian coins were minted at all three branches of the British Royal Mint: the Sydney Mint, the Melbourne Mint, and the Melbourne Mint. The Royal Australian Mint (RAM) is the first mint in Australia that is not a London branch of the Royal Mint. The only other operating mint in Australia is the Perth Mint. It is an Australian public service agency, staffed by the Treasury Department.

          Brief History Of Royal Australian Mint

Planning for the mint began in 1959 when it was proposed to move the Royal Mint's Melbourne branch to Canberra. It was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh on February 22, 1965, coinciding with the introduction of the Australian decimal currency on February 14, 1966. The new mint cost A$5 million to build, with A$4 million additional dollars for equipment.

The new mint and the Melbourne Mint operated simultaneously while sufficient stocks of new coins were prepared and until production in Canberra was felt to be proceeding smoothly, the Melbourne Mint was closed in 1967. Some of the Melbourne Mint staff moved to Canberra to operate the new mint. However, it was not until the early 1980s that RAM was able to sustain solo production of the complete set of Australian mint coins in circulation, so on several occasions in the 1960s and 1970s RAM contracted production to the Perth Mint, the Royal Mint in both London and Llantrisant, and even on one occasion the Royal Canadian Mint.

The mint includes two buildings: an administration building and a processing building. The administration building houses the engravers, a laboratory, and a vibration-free basement where coins are measured to ensure the correct size and weight.

During 1984-1986 renovations were carried out to meet the increasing demand for collector coin production and also to improve visitor facilities. Visitors can mint their own legal tender using visitor presses.

The mint primarily serves to make Australia's legal tender precious metals coins. The banknotes are produced by Note Printing Australia in Melbourne. The Mint also produces medals for military and civil honors, most notably the Order of Australia. The Mint, in conjunction with the Perth Mint, produced medals for the 2000 Summer Olympics. The Royal Australian Mint also produces tokens for commercial organizations like casinos, car washes, etc.

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Australian Shipwrecks

The Royal Australian Mint introduced an exciting and distinctive series of coins in early 2020 with its Shipwreck Series. The four-coin collection offers four individual design elements on the obverse and reverse in honor of some of the earliest shipwrecks off the coast of Australia. The featured ships were owned and operated by the Dutch East India Company and traveled their well-known routes from the Netherlands around the southern tip of Africa to Australia before heading northeast towards Batavia, now Jakarta, Indonesia. In the final release of this silver series from the Royal Australian Mint, the ship Zeewijk appears in the design fields of the coin.

Dangerous Animals

Australia holds a unique appeal for countless travelers and nature aficionados from around the world. Part of that appeal is the knowledge that deadly creatures are always around, often closer than people realize. In 2020, the Royal Australian Mint launched Australia's Most Dangerous coin series to highlight some of these terrifying animals in .999 fine silver rounds.

The Red Back spider

The first two coins in the series present two very different dangers. The first is the redback spider.This close relative of the North American black widow spider gets its name from the easily recognizable red stripe that appears on the back of adult females. They also have orange-red stripes on the underside of their bodies. Although female bodies grow only about 0.4 inches, while males grow only about 0.12 inches, this spider is among the most dangerous in Australia because its venom causes latrodectism in human victims. While rarely fatal to humans, the redback bite can cause pain, vomiting, sweating, and muscle stiffness.

The Great White shark

The second coin in the series features the Great White shark, one of the most feared sea creatures.Great Whites live in most of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans and other non-polar bodies of water. They are closely associated with Australia mainly because they breed along the coasts of the continent. The Great White shark gets its fearsome reputation in popular culture, primarily from the somewhat misleading movie ‘Jaws.’ 

Great White sharks rarely attack humans and even when they do, their bites are rarely fatal. That said, at 4,000 pounds per square inch (psi), great white sharks have one of the most powerful bites in the animal kingdom, more powerful even than the saltwater crocodile!

The desert scorpion

The third coin in the series debuted in fall 2021 and features the intimidating-looking Desert Scorpion. While not entirely deadly, the rope from this crawler can cause painful swelling in humans.

The desert scorpion thrives in some of the most inhospitable parts of the Australian desert interior. Considered a large and aggressive species, this type of scorpion digs deep spiral burrows that allow it to withstand the scorching temperatures of the day. The venom of this scorpion is not powerful enough to kill humans, but it can still cause pain and uncomfortable swelling. The desert scorpion is not a creature that many would want to come face-to-face with!

Facts About Royal Australian Mint

• The early Australians did not use money as we know it. They used a barter (trade) system.

• The royal family is usually the only living people represented in coins in circulation but the Mint may decide to mint coins that commemorate other people who have done important things for Australia.

• In 1963, the Australian government decided to switch to decimal currency. The new kind of money had to be named, and the Prime Minister at the time, Sir Robert Menzies, wanted to call it the 'real.' Other suggestions were the 'austral,' the 'kanga,' and the 'dinkum.' Eventually 'dollars' and 'cents' were selected.

• In 1966, Australia began using decimal currencies, featuring unique Australian animals.

• On August 21, 1990, then-Treasurer Paul Keating announced that one and two-cent coins would not be made in Australia, and the two coins ceased to be used officially in 1992.

• The 50-cent coin was once circulated in Australia. It changed its form in 1969 because it looked and felt too much like a quarter.

• The $2 coin was launched in 1988. Finding a new size wasn't easy. People had to be able to tell what currency it was to feel it, and it had to be easy to create in the mint machines.

Frequently Asked Questions:

How much does it cost to go to the Royal Australian Mint?

Free public tours of the Royal Australian Mint continue in 2022. 

What does the Royal Australian Mint do?

The mint primarily serves to make Australia's legal tender precious metals coins. The banknotes are produced by Note Printing Australia in Melbourne. The Mint also produces medals for military and civil honors, most notably the Order of Australia.

Who owns the Royal Australian Mint?

The Royal Australian Mint is a listed entity in the Commonwealth Government Treasury and is the sole supplier of Australia's circulating coins.

What is the rarest coin in Australia?

The 1922-1921 Overdate Threepence is the rarest Australian circulation coin. One 1922-1921 Overdate Threepence sold in July 2021 for A$95,000. The virtually uncirculated coin is one of the best examples of its kind.

Where does Australia print money?

Note Printing Australia Limited (NPA), based in Craigieburn in Victoria is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Reserve Bank, producing banknotes for Australia and export. It was the first printing house in the world to issue a complete series of notes in circulation in polymer substratum

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