Australian Fifty Cent Coins
2004 Primary School Student Design 50c
Copper-Nickel
The talented young coin designer has the rare privilege of having his initials "JS" incorporated into his winning design of a wombat, lorikeet and koala, the essence of Australian wildlife.
John's coin is the culmination of an Australia wide search conducted in 2003 from amongst aspiring young artists of Primary school age.
The response to the Mint's national coin competition was outstanding with over 2,500 designs submitted from schools across every State and Territory of Australia.
"The exceptionally high quality of entries made the short listing process extremely difficult" said Dr Vivienne Thom, Controller of the Royal Australian Mint. "We are thrilled that John has had opportunity to see his the final result of his creative efforts."
John's winning design will be produced as a general circulating coin for distribution Australia wide on demand and as a Collectors coin editions in Proof and Uncirculated quality.
This design has had its critics, with questions raised about what the lorikeet is actually doing being one of them.
Nominal Specifications
| Denomination: | 50 cents |
| Metal: | 75% Copper 25% Nickel |
| Mass: | 15.55 grams |
| Diameter: | 31.51 mm |
| Reverse: | John Serrano |
| Obverse: | Ian Rank-Broadley |
Royal Australian Mint Photo