Public line up to witness history being made with the first coin strike of 2019 in the world

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Today history was made at the Royal Australian Mint (the Mint) when one lucky coin enthusiast received the first coin in the world for 2019.

Continuing the Mint’s highly anticipated annual New Year’s Day event, collectors and coin enthusiasts waited hours to observe the unveiling of the exciting new theme for the year ahead.  The Mint announced that its iconic new theme this year will be ‘The Bold, the Bad and the Ugly: Australia’s wild colonial bushrangers’.  

The new theme acknowledges the contribution that Australian bushrangers have made to the nation’s folklore and identity.  This year also marks the second year of a three year series of themes focused on colonial Australia.

Mint CEO Ross MacDiarmid says that the new theme celebrates a key era in Australia’s unique history and the significant role that bushrangers have played in shaping the nation’s identity.

“This year, we are celebrating another era in Australian history by focusing on the stories of legendary Australian bushrangers,” said Mr MacDiarmid.

“It is important to recognise the lasting impact that the bushranging era has had on Australia, including its role in shaping Australian art, literature, music and our everyday way of life.”

“Today we have witnessed international history being made, as at the 9:15am the first 100 collectors in the queue at the Mint were the first people in the world to strike a coin in 2019.”

The newly released 2019 Mintmark coin collection are Australian legal tender and represent the folklore of the Australian bushranger.  Each coin’s packaging also includes captivating stories and illustrations from some of the Bold, the Bad and the Ugly individuals whose exploits and misadventures made the Australian history books.

The coins reverse depicts a scene of the classic Australian bushranger and the brave colonial trooper, reflecting the drama and action of the time.  The obverse of each coin features Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II effigy sculpted by Ian Rank-Broadley.

The first person in line received a one-off coin set including the coins from the mintmark and privy mark sets and a proof version, accompanied by certificate number 1.

This annual tradition also saw members of the public line up from 6.00am for the exclusive opportunity to be in the group of 100 collectors that received a certificate authenticating their piece as a keepsake.

For more information or an image of the collectible coins, contact details below.

Media Enquiries:

Royal Australian Mint: Heather McGirr, Heather.McGirr@ramint.gov.au, 0418 164 769

 

 

Download The Bold, The Bad and The Ugly: 'Australia's wild colonial bushrangers
2019 $1 'C' Mintmark Gold Proof Coin

Download The Bold, The Bad and the Ugly: 'Australia’s wild colonial bushrangers’
2019 $1 'C' Mintmark Silver Proof Coin

Download The Bold, The Bad and the Ugly: 'Australia’s wild colonial bushrangers’
2019 $1 Mintmark & Privy Mark Four Coin Set