Page 3 of Decimal Coins & Banknotes

The first Australian polymer banknotes were printed in 1988 to mark Australia’s bicentenary. It was a $10 commemorative note and set the stage for the gradual transition to polymer notes to replace the paper banknotes we had used since the 1966 introduction of decimal currency. The firs...

When it comes to collecting Australian banknotes, there are two key types of notes that will add value to your collection - first prefix and last prefix banknotes. While it would seem obvious that first prefix banknotes, i.e. the first notes printed in a series, are more valuable, most often it’s...

No two collectors are the same. Some are happy to add any note with value or significance to their collection, while others are very specific and selective with the notes they collect or buy. Often it comes down to seeking out something exclusive that no-one else has. Since the late 199...

Across 2015, the Australian numismatic community saw a polymer $50 note that was truly unusual - it was violet and green in colour, and had designs vastly different to those we see in circulation. It turned out that the note was actually used by CSIRO across the 1970’s in their testing ...

In the middle of 2015, a 1966 silver Australian uniface obverse pattern dollar coin was offered for sale via public auction. This coin had not been seen on the open market since March 1988, so it was an exciting offering. Excitement was building in the collector market as the 50 anniversary of de...

Ian Rank-Broadley (IRB) is a renown British sculptor - perhaps his best-known work is the obverse coinage design that he designed of Queen Elizabeth II - it was used on Great Britain's coins between 1998 and 2014, and has been seen on Australia's coins since 1997....

The 1966 wavy baseline 20 cent coin is counted among Australia's rarest decimal coins issued for circulation. Although 58.2 million 20 cent coins were struck dated 1966; very, very few of these feature what collector's describe as a "wavy baseline". How to Identify the 1966 Wav...

While attending a local coin, stamp and note show in Perth, I spotted a 1966 VIP Uncirculated decimal coin set on the table of another dealer. I’ve handled several of these sets, and regard them as a truly scarce memento of a major event in Australia’s economic history - one that often has a uniq...