Helpful Website Needed....

you could get Greg McDonalds guide to Australian coins and banknotes, but that only gives values and a bit of infomation..

I think it would be easier to understand than US coins...

Heres the Australian mint website, this is probably a good start

http://www.ramint.gov.au/making_coi..._designs.cfm

That page didn't mention the 1c and 2c though, they got taken out in 1990 (I think)

http://www.cruzis-coins.com/

This site is good for a good overview, and it has a fantastic links page.

that should enough for you

If you want to trade for any Australian coins in the future, there are a Few US ones I'm interested in

Look at my trade list in the trade section

Unless you just want some regular circulation coins.. or commemorative.

Here is a list of coins that I managed to pull out from circulation (well 99% of them)

http://www.gxseries.com/numis/austy..._decimal.htm

The commemorative coins are strictly only the ones meant for circulation. Can be a challenge to get them all!

Gary, I never asked that question myself, but I really don't know.... I guess it just is made that way.... Sometimes the whole year is not made for circulation, but only for mint sets.... So there are no COA or commemoratives either.. As for the Centenary...... Theres kinda a lot over here... lol.... But I think there are better designs that that.. Just my opinion..

G'day, again,
quote: "... regarding the circulating 50c piece, when a commemorative is issued for a particular year is the standard coat-of-arms half made as well? I noticed on gxseries' page that sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't...why is that? "
- I think the correct answer looks like this. The Queen's silver jubilee in 1977 was a planned & foreseen celebration; and the occasion was marked by a coin. The Royal Wedding went from speculation to reality in a relatively short time-frame. So, the C&D coin was issued in addition to the CoA.

For later years: 2001, 2005, to name but two, the ways of the Royal Australian Mint are a mystery to me.

quote: "$1 2003 Centenary of Women's Suffrage might be my favorite design. Its a stunning design, truly a work of art. "
- earlier this year, I noticed a lot of these entering circulation, apparently after being lost in storage for five years. I've put a few aside. I like them too.

My criticism of modern Australian designs is that many of them have very large fields, which quickly attract dings. For example 2005 $1-DM, and 2005 50-cent.

Favourite designs ?
I miss the retirement of the 2-cent. I live in an area where frillies are prolific, and it would be interesting for my boys to correlate the image on the coin with the world around them.

I laugh to myself whenever I look at a 5-cent. It's very much an "artist's impression". No-one ever sees that side of an echidna.

The 20-cent stands out to me, because it is an attempt to capture an animal moving in water, and beautifully done.

The 50-cent CoA belongs in the 1960s, and I think it ought to be left there. The 2001 CoA, which is the more conventional representation, is far more pleasing to me. I suppose because it reminds me of the old florin: when I was a boy, that was the highest-value coin in circulation. It could be exchanged for two of the most expensive ice-creams, or four ordinary large ones. That was wealth beyond comparison.

Can't say the $1 MoR does much for me, nor the $2.

I like most of the commemoratives. The 1996 Sir Henry PARKES is a bit too artistic for me. He's also on the 2001 $5 note: ironic for a bloke who died bankrupt.
The BRADMAN 20-cent, and the Weary DUNLOP 50-cent are a bit special: these are men who died only recently, and it is possible to grasp their contributions to the nation, whereas the older ones are sometimes just names in history books.

Peter

Yeh I like the womens suffrage design too, but I only have one, in great condition though.

I love the Mob of Roos and 50c coat of arms.

Some of the 50c commemoratives don't really appeal to me with the design, like the student design, millenium, year of outback.

The rest are pretty good though. The UN anniversery is a nice 20c.