02 January 2020
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On 1 January, the Royal Australian Mint welcomed members of the the public to its annual event to see the first coin of 2020 struck.
In an extraordinary coincidence, Caitlin Pang (pictured), whose father Chee Fui Pang won the Last Coin of 2019, was the lucky winner to strike the first coin in the world for 2020 at the First Coin of the Year Event.
The event saw 400 members of the public, including collectors and coin enthusiasts, waiting hours to observe the unveiling of the Mint’s new theme for the 2020, titled ‘Eureka! Australia’s Gold Rush’.
The new Eureka! coins
The newly released 2020 Gallery Press and Mintmark Suite coins are Australian legal tender and mark the discovery of gold in Australia, which helped to transform colonies into thriving cities, old penal settlements into places of shining opportunity and launched a rush towards federation. Each coin’s packaging in 2020 Gallery Press and Mintmark Suite also includes captivating stories around the theme of the Australian Gold Rush
The reverse of each coin reflects the exciting and wild period of Australia’s Gold Rush and the obverse of each coin features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II designed by Jody Clark.
Colonial history
The Royal Australian Mint’s CEO Ross MacDiarmid said: “The Mint’s new theme for 2020 celebrates the contribution made to Australia’s development by new and growing communities during the gold rushes.
“This is the third and final year of a three year series of themes focused on colonial Australia, following the Mint’s 2019 theme The Bold, The Bad and The Ugly – Australia’s Wild Colonial Bushrangers and 2018 theme Rascals and Ratbags - Australia’s Convict Era”.
For more on the coins, visit the Mint's website.
QUICK LINK: Collectors look forward to new 2020 coins
(images courtesy of Royal Australian Mint)
