Today's featured coin is the 2001 Centenary of Australian Federation Floral Emblems Bi-Metal coin struck by The Perth Mint. For those of you who may not be aware of what the Federation of Australian was, this Wikipedia excerpt explains it nice and succinctly:
"The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and Western Australia agreed to unite and form the Commonwealth of Australia, establishing a system of federalism in Australia." - sourced from Wikipedia
I have shared many impressive Perth Mint coin designs in my previous posts, but the design of this coin is something special in my opinion. The intricate detail is incredible and I often find myself staring at this coin for a long period of time.
This coin is known as a Bi-Metal coins which means it consists of two distinct metal types. For this specific coin the outer part of the coin is .999 Silver and the inner star of the coin is .999 Gold.
Packaging
The Bi-Metal coin was presented in a navy blue outer box the white text, 'Centenary of Federation Floral Emblems Bi-Metal Coin'. Below the white text is The Perth Mint Swan logo.
Inside the navy blue cardboard shipper is a jarrah and she-oak wooden case. The Australian Coast of Arms is etched into the wood in navy blue. Underneath the coat of arms the words, 'Centenary of Federation Floral Emblems Bi-Metal Coin' are also etched into the wood in navy blue.
This is definitely one of the more impressive wooden boxes that have been used by The Perth Mint. The grain of the she-oak wood is beautiful. You will also see in the next photo below that a seven sided star has been carved into the jarrah wood to create the home for the coin in the centre of the star.
Each coin was issued with a uniquely numbered Certificate of Authenticity. The maximum mintage of this coin was limited to 7,500 coins.
Design
Reverse
The reverse design of the silver portion of this coin portrays the floral emblems for each Australian State and Territory:
- Queensland - is represented by the Cooktown Orchid,
- New South Wales - is represented by the Waratah,
- Victoria - is represented by the Pink Heath,
- Tasmania - is represented by the Blue Gum,
- South Australia - is represented by the Sturts Desert Pea,
- Western Australia - is represented by the Kangaroo Paw, and;
- Northern Territory - is represented by the Desert Rose.
The reverse design of the central gold star portrays the Australian Coat of Arms, with the distinctive native animals the Kangaroo and Emu supporting the shield. A seven sided star is positioned above the shield and the inscription 'AUSTRALIA' is below.
Obverse
The obverse design of the silver portion of this coin has the inscription 'ELIZABETH II' and 'AUSTRALIA'. The denomination of '20 DOLLARS' is inscribed at the bottom of the coin.
The obverse design of the gold star of this coin portrays the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
The proof quality and finish of the obverse side of this coin is exceptional. The mirror detail and the fineness of the polish finish for both the silver portion and the gold star are an absolute joy. With high quality coins like this one I really do admire workmanship that goes into the minting of these coins.
Coin Details
| Mint/Brand: | The Perth Mint |
| Gold Content: | 0.285oz |
| Gold Purity: | .999 Fine Gold |
| Silver Content: | 0.346oz |
| Silver Purity: | .999 Fine Silver |
| Denomination: | $20 (Australian) |
| Year of Issue: | 2001 |
| Edge: | Milled |
| Weight: | 19.6g |
| Diameter: | 32.10mm |
| Maximum Mintage: | 7,500 |
Conclusion
To close out this post, you may have guessed that I like pretty much everything about this coin. It is definitely in my special collection stack. The sad thing is that I do not actually remember the story behind how and where I found this coin. I believe it was from a local coin shop, but unfortunately I do not have a nice entertaining back story to share with you, like some of the other coins I have written about.
What are your thoughts of this coin? Am I blinded by bias or do the stacker community also this this coin is a thing of beauty. I am very interested to hear your thoughts and opinions. 🤔
