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With 2009 being declared the International Year of Astronomy the Royal Australian Mint used this theme for their year sets and a special commemorative one dollar coin and 20c. The theme "The Universe, Yours to Discover" aimed to raise awareness of Australia's contributions to astronomy and encourage young people to become involved in this exciting science and hobby. 2009 realises 400 years since Galileo first recorded observations with a telescope in 1609.

This one dollar design features the Parkes radio telescope in NSW, Australia. This 64 metre movable radio dish is probably the most well known because of the images it captured and relayed of the Apollo 11 lunar mission in which 125 million TV viewers watched Duncan Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, the first men on the moon July 21st 1969.

The reverse is sculpted by RAM designer Caitlin Goodall and features the Parkes dish in the rural landscape of NSW. The design depicts sheep grazing in the fenced pasture dwarfed by the size of the telescope. The obverse is the standard Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. This dollar coin issue is the standard 25mm,9 gram aluminium bronze dollar you would ordinarily find in your change but this design was not released into circulation.

This commemorative $1 was included in the 6 coin proof set (issue price $115) and the two coin uncirculated mint sets (issue price $15) and this is the only way to obtain one of these coins. For the mintages of these please see the 2009 one dollar mintages table.

Below is one of the displays at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra showing the designers sketches and plaster from the manufacturing and design process of the production of this coin.

In 2009 the Royal Australian Mint continued with a plethora of releases of the standard 25mm, 9 gram, aluminium bronze one dollar coin. All Issues featured the standard Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. There was a release of standard design mob of roos dollars into circulation as well as a commemorative issue (into circulation) for the Centenary of the Aged Pension. These Pension dollars were also available in commemorative RAM wrappered Rolls.

2009 continued with the idea of differentiating mintmark issues with mintmarks, counterstamps and privymarks. There was however, no counterstamp dollars issued as the RAM didn't take their portable press to any venues in 2009.

A well-known coin dealer in Queensland, VP Coins, kept up with their plan to boost show attendance at the Brisbane Coin shows by overprinting the pivymark folders with special lettering to commemorate the show. Apparently examples of these overprints (which started in 2008) are in the RAM collection so we can assume they've been recognised by them as official releases.

Following on with the pad printed coloured series of coins another 2 coins were released in the Land Series which were the final coins in this series. An Air series had been planned but was canned due to collector protests over the large number of collector dollars released by the RAM.

2009 was named International Year of Astronomy with the Mint Set, Proof Set and Fine Silver Year Set issues reflecting this event.

Year	Description	Type	Mint Mark	Composition	Notes	Mintage
2009	Mob of Roos	Circulation	None	AlBr	Circulation	4,682,000*
	Mob of Roos	Circulation	None	AlBr	Berlin World money Fair	500
	Mob of Roos	Circulation	None	AlBr	Australia Post Baby Keepsake Card	7,700
	Centenary of the Aged Pension	Circulation	None	AlBr	Circulation	*
	Centenary of the Aged Pension	Circulation	None	AlBr	RAM Roll	incl. in above mintage
	Citizenship 60th anniversary	Circulation	C mm	AlBr	RAM and Dealer Sales	72,307*
	Citizenship 60th anniversary	Circulation	C mm	AlBr	RAM Gallery Press	incl. in above mintage*
	Citizenship 60th anniversary	Circulation	C mm	AlBr	Brisbane Coin Fair Overprint Feb	1,493 incl. in above mintage
	Citizenship 60th anniversary	Circulation	S Privymark	AlBr	RAM and Dealer Sales	30,002*
	Citizenship 60th anniversary	Circulation	B Privymark	AlBr	RAM and Dealer Sales	30,586*
	Citizenship 60th anniversary	Circulation	B Privymark	AlBr	Brisbane Coin Fair Overprint September	1,496 incl. in above mintage
	Citizenship 60th anniversary	Circulation	M Privymark	AlBr	RAM and Dealer Sales	30,673*
	Citizenship 60th anniversary	Proof	C mm	.999 Silver	Silver Proof Interrupted Reeding	7,050*
	Mob of Roos	Circulation	Master Mintmark	AlBr	RAM and Dealer Sales	*
	Mob of Roos	Circulation	Master Mintmark Counterstamp	AlBr	RAM and Dealer Sales	*
	Steve Irwin	Circulation	None	AlBr	RAM and Dealer Sales	20,002*
	Year of the Ox	Circulation	None	AlBr	Lunar Coin Series	17,442*
	Year of the Ox	Proof	None	.999 Silver	Lunar Coin Series	5,000*
	Bilby	Frosted Unc/Proof Rev	None	AlBr	Coloured Land Series	17,450*
	Frilled Neck Lizard	Frosted Unc/Proof Rev	None	AlBr	Coloured Land Series	*
	Australia Post Bicentenary	Circulation	None	AlBr	PNC	32,000*
	Australia Post Bicentenary	Circulation	None	AlBr	Melbourne Stamp Show overprint PNC	300
	Australia Post Bicentenary	Circulation	None	AlBr	Australia Post 2 Coin Set	7,200*
	Dorothy Wall	Circulation	None	AlBr	Blinky Bill Baby Mint Set	29,311*
	Mob of Roos	Circulation	None	AlBr	Mint Set	48,923*
	Mob of Roos	Circulation	None	AlBr	Brisbane ANDA Mint Set	1500*
	Mob of Roos	Circulation	None	AlBr	Melbourne ANDA Mint Set	1,497*
	Mob of Roos	Circulation	None	AlBr	Sydney ANDA Mint Set	1,498*
	International Year of Astronomy	Circulation	None	AlBr	2 Coin Unc Set	25,114*
	International Year of Astronomy	Proof	None	AlBr	Proof Set	20,002*
	Mob of Roos	Proof	None	AlBr	2 Coin Proof Set	9,599*
	Mob of Roos	Proof	None	AlBr	Blinky Bill Baby Proof Set	9,967*
	Mob of Roos	Specimen	None	AlBr	Wedding Set	2,299*
	Mob of Roos	Proof	None	.999 Silver	Fine Silver Year Set	1,985*
	Mob of Roos	Proof	None	.999 Gold	Ram and Dealer Sales	1,000*

Footnotes:

* - Whilst the RAM annual report for 2008-9 has been released it may include some errors. The mintages for each years' issues can be contained in 2 or even 3 financial year reports. Some more recent issues don't have any definite mintages numbers as yet. We have endeavoured to keep our information as accurate as possible but at this stage it is not possible to be totally accurate. Mintage numbers will be updated as the most accurate information becomes available.

Famous Australian artist Norman Lindsay (1879-1969) was also renowned for his work as a writer of childrens stories. First published in 1918, The Magic Pudding is a classic childrens novel that Lindsay wrote and illustrated. It was adapted for an animated feature film in 2000. The classic story has been reprinted numerous times and was done so again in 2008 to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the book. Following with the humorous side to this book it is divided into 4 "slices" instead of chapters. It follows the magic pudding who, as eaten, reforms to be eaten again as its' owners defend it from the pudding thieves.

The theme for the baby mint and proof sets produced by the Royal Australian Mint in 2007 and 2008 was The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay. A fitting theme for a set designed as a gift to commemorate a special newborns birth. The packaging features artwork from the Magic Pudding story by Lindsay himself. The Norman Lindsay one dollar is only featured in the baby mint set, not the proof set.

The reverse depicts a portrait of Lindsay with 4 characters from the story to the left of the portrait. From the top the coin features the Magic Pudding, Bunyip Bluegum the koala, Bill Barnacle the sailor and Sam Sawnoff the penguin. The legends read "Norman Lindsay The Magic Pudding One Dollar" on the reverse. This design was by Vladimir Gottwald but does not bear his initials.

It is a standard size 25mm 9 gram Australian legal tender aluminium bronze one dollar coin but was not released into circulation (thus an NCLT), it is only found in the baby mint (uncirculated) set. The obverse is the standard Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. In 2007 33,693 baby mint sets were produced and in 2008 46,504 sets were sold which included this exclusive coin design.

The 14th of February 1966 was 'C Day', when Australia changed from the pounds, shillings, and pence system to a decimal system of dollars and cents. It was a massive event with shopping tills and calculators across the country needing to be modified and replaced, the government had to have more than a billion new coins minted and ready to be unleashed on the public, and the public themselves had to be extensively educated in the new decimal system. Preparation had begun years before with the first decimal coins minted in 1964, eventually decimal coins for 1966 were minted in London, Melbourne, Perth, and the new Royal Australian Mint in Canberra. 1991 saw the 25th anniversary of the introduction of decimal currency and the RAM decided to celebrate it with an attractive commemorative 50c coin that was released into circulation.

Decimal coins in 1991 had the Raphael Maklouf portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. The reverse of this commemorative coin was designed by RAM master sculptor
Horst Hahne using the rams head from the Australian shilling which was minted from 1938 to 1963 and his own legend which reads "50 Cents : 25th Anniversary of Decimal Currency". The rams head is the same as originally sculpted by George Kruger Gray. 4,704,000 of these coins were struck in copper nickel for circulation, another 147,900 to brilliant UNC standards for mint sets, and 41,590 in proof for the 1991 proof sets. 25,000 were also struck in sterling silver for the 1991 Masterpieces in Silver set.

The 1991 25th Anniversary of Decimal Currency 50c is one of the lowest mintage circulating commemorative 50c coins and as such you don't often see them in your change. There were still nearly 5 million of them made though, so it is by no means a scarce coin and only really worth more than face value if it is uncirculated, when it is worth $7-$10. A proof cupro nickel coin might fetch up to $20 while the sterling silver coin from the Masterpieces in Silver set can be had for $30. Interestingly security rolls of this coin are quite scarce and do fetch decent prices of $150 and up.

The United Nations declared 2008 International Year of Planet Earth adopting the theme "earth sciences for society". Geological hazards are a key issue for the United Nations and promoting this year was the biggest international effort to promote this field of scientific endeavour.

UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation) hoped to raise 20 million dollars over the 3 year period 2007-2009 to fund research and outreach activities. Objectives of the year included

• discovering new natural resources and make them available in a sustainable manner


• reduce risks for society caused by natural and human-induced hazards


• increase interest in earth science encouraging young people to study this at university


• improved understanding of the evolution of life


• understanding the earth from crust to core.

The reverse of this one dollar coin was designed by Vladimir Gottwald. His designs were inspired by the program, highlighting our need to take responsibility for our planet and issues of hazard minimisation and sustainable development that are of significance to all Australians. The reverse of the IYPE $1 depicts a map of Australia with human hands showing the change we effect on the environments.

This aluminium bronze dollar is the standard 25mm 9 gram size for a circulation one dollar but was not released into circulation, thus is termed a NCLT release. It features the standard Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. The only way to purchase one of these coins in uncirculated condition is in a mint year set for 2008 or a 2 coin uncirculated set released by the Royal Australian Mint. A proof version can be found in the 2008 proof year set. It was also issued in sterling silver in the 2008 fine silver year set for 2008. For mintages see the 2008 issues and mintages table.

February 14th 1966 saw the introduction of decimal coins into circulation in Australia and for the first time the Royal Australian Mint made uncirculated grade coins in sets available to collectors and visitors to the mint. The very first of these sets were coins sealed in plastic and then sealed in a blue and white cardboard holder which was initially available only to visitors to the new Royal Australian Mint facility in Canberra. The sets included an example of each of the new decimal coins, the 80% silver round 50c coin, the cupro nickel 20c, 10c, and 5c and finally the bronze 2 and 1 cent coins. With a total face value of 88c these carded mint sets were available for just $1 (just a 14% markup), a far cry from the margins achieved with mint product sold these days (the 2010 mint set has a massive 679% markup)!

RAM Ad in Australian Coin Review, October 1966

The new decimal coins all had a common obverse portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin, while the reverses depicting typically Australian wildlife were all designed by Stuart Devlin. 77,250 of the sets were issued during 1966 and 1967, but shortages of Australian minted 20, 10, and 5 cent coins meant that 67,250 of the sets contained London (which had been minting Australian decimal coins since 1965) minted cupro nickel coins. The remaining 10,000 sets contained 20, 10, and 5 cent coins that were minted in Canberra and continued to be available right though until early 1967.

As is normal for most numismatic collectables, condition is everything with regards to the value of these sets. Prices for these sets currently range from $40 or so for a poor set that is damaged or written on, up to $80+ for a pristine set with un-toned copper coins. It is quite common for these sets to be found stapled across the top and we're not sure if this was done by the RAM at time of issue or later by collectors to stop the paper separating. Either way the stapling does have some effect on the value with the staples often rusting and staining the cardboard. Just recently we saw a lovely 1966 carded mint set sell at an auction in Canberra with the original RAM packing slip, this went for $140. This was the first time we've seen one come up for sale with the packing slip. You can see an image of a packing slip below (we've been lucky enough to secure a number of these sets with slips just in the last few days).

To have the original slip, an unstapled set with pristine coins in undamaged or non dog-eared cardboard is certainly a superior set to look out for, if you can find one!

In 2008 the Royal Australian Mint continued with the second release in an ongoing series of NCLT (non-circulating legal tender) one dollar coins depicting each lunar year and their representative animals. Intended as a collectors coin this 2008 $1 marks the birth of a loved one or a birthday gift for those born in the year of the Brown Earth Rat which begins on February 4th 2008, the first day of the solar month in thew Chinese Lunar calendar. Those born in 1996, 1984, 1972, 1960, 1948, 1936 or 1924 were also born into the year of the rat. The rat is the first in a cycle of 12 astrological animals. Virtues of those born into the sign of the rat are said to be charming, sensitive, imaginative and generous to the ones they love. They enjoy being leaders so are often successful in life and are said to have the gift of insight and clairvoyance. Those born into the year of the rat are also said to have a tendency to be quick tempered, over-critical perfectionists.

The Year of the Rat one dollar reverse was designed by Vladimir Gottwald but does not feature Gottwalds signature initials in the design. The reverse features a rat with authentic chinese symbols all in a symetrical design on the reverse. The coin is issued in a protective capsule housed in an informative card. This card features a red and gold design, the traditional colours of good fortune in Chinese culture. The coin reads "2008 Year of the Rat" on the reverse and, different to other standard dollar issues, states the denomination "1 Dollar" on the obverse below the portrait. It is the standard 25mm size, 9 gram, aluminium bronze one dollar coin with the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.

This year of the rat aluminium bronze one dollar was issued in uncirculated condition for $12.95 with a mintage of 20,359. It was also issued in silver proof 11.66 gram 25mm for $40 with a mintage of 5,250. The design was also issued also in a (1/10oz 17.53mm) $10 gold proof coin for $175 with a capped mintage of 2,500.

Back in January 2010 we talked about the differences between coins minted on gallery press 1 and 2 at the RAM. There was a reason for this, some collectors seem to think that having coins from both presses is essential for a complete dollar coin collection due to the differences in the reeding positions of coins produced on each press. We've thought for some time that this is a bit silly because as far as we were aware the reeding position is essentially random, with the collar position not fixed with respect to the obverse and reverse dies. Our reasoning was if you were going to declare the gallery presses as a distinct variety then you must logically say that each circulation coin with a different reeding position must be collected too. And how many of those are there? Well no-one knows, remember the reeding position can change every time there is a die change in a coining press making Australian dollars.

We'd let this lie until some people started suggesting that the reeding position of coins could be used as a definitive test to identify both gallery press coins and portable press coins from earlier years. This assertion was made based on a sample of just one or two coins from just one person's coin collection! Clearly this made no sense so as an interesting exercise we recently attended the RAM and minted a few more coins on the gallery presses and took a look at the reeding positions. And what do you know? They are different to those on coins minted just a month a go on New Years Day! You can see below two coins minted on gallery press 1 and how the reeding positions vary.

As you can see the positions are quite different, so the fitters at the RAM have had the collar out of gallery press 1 at least once in the intervening 30 days. Perhaps more, who really knows. So while we can admire someone trying to ensure the completeness of their collection we can only suggest that it's entirely pointless unless you attend the mint every day to ensure the dies are not changed. And to suggest that reeding positions can be used to identify the press on which a coin is made without a huge sample size and proper investigation is clearly spurious at best, and potentially harmful at worst.

Just recently I and my fellow Australian Coin Collecting blog author were able to attend a smallish coin auction for both the lot viewing session and the live room auction the next day. The company holding the auction has been in business for more than 30 years and in this time has conducted quite a few more than 100 auctions. We've been to several of their auctions in the past and usually the experience isn't too bad at all. However this time a few things really got under my skin during the viewing of the lots and I feel like I should talk about them.

1. Don't buy lots site unseen, view view view. If you can't view then get someone to view for you. Many of the coins we looked at that were described as uncirculated were clearly not, and a surprisingly large number of the coins were clearly cleaned or affected by PVC.
2. The lots were incredibly poorly setup for viewing. In many cases the coins were sealed into PVC holders which normally isn't too bad for viewing and short term storage but the particular type of holders used were spotted with tiny black flecks so as a consequence every coin appeared to be spotted with tiny black flecks.
3. Some lots with more than one coin had the coins sealed into PVC holders and then those PVC holders were sealed into a larger PVC holder. This made it impossible to view these coins properly because of the lack of clarity in the PVC and the fact that the coin dealer was trying to make everyone look through two layers of this horrible plastic.
4. Most of the lots were labelled with a number written onto a white adhesive label. Now one would think the obvious place to put this was on the white note card attached to all the lots, but no, in some cases they'd decided to stick the white label on the coin holder so you couldn't see the coin because of the label.
5. One high value lot was so poorly packed that it was virtually impossible to view without damaging the item for sale. We managed to remove it from the holder to view correctly but I could see how hundreds of dollars of value could be removed in just a few seconds by someone carelessly removing the lot from the holder and damaging it when all they want is a closer look.
6. We understand that staff who conduct auction viewings have many demands on their time but this is no excuse for damaging the lots they are there to try to sell. We saw one staff member fold a high value item (which should have remained flat) and try to stuff it back into the holder it came from because he was clearly busy and impatient. There is absolutely no excuse for this and we were horrified when we saw it, any chance that anyone in the room would have bid on that item just went out the window (incidentally the item went unsold).

OK so now I've got that off of my chest here's some things I would change to make the viewing experience much easier.

1. Get the coins out of the PVC holders. Put them into mylar flips (SAFLIPS would be good) and heat seal those coins in there. The mylar will protect the coin, it is contained, and the plastic is crystal clear allowing for easy viewing. If there's multiple coins in a lot then heat seal them into polypropylene album pages cut to size (like we did here). By all means then put the sealed up coin (or coins) into a larger PVC pocket and staple this to an information card. People can then take the coins out of the PVC pocket and view very easily. Doing these things will make for an easier viewing and also reduce your auction setup costs, it is far quicker to heat seal coins into holders than staple them or sticky tape them!
2. Take some basic care when labeling lots. Sure we understand they need to be labelled so you can keep track but for goodness sake don't stick the label on top of the coin so we can't view it. If we can't view it we wont buy it.
3. Take some care when handling lots and employ staff with some basic numismatic knowledge (or at least take the time to train them afterwards). I can think of several occasions now in auction viewings and coins stores where the staff have damaged items I was interested in buying because of poor handling, lack of care, or just plain ignorance. Clearly this is unacceptable.
4. Apply conservative, consistent, and open grading when evaluating lots for your catalogue. If your lots are consistently overgraded, cleaned, and have faults that are not described then you will not receive site unseen bids and lots will not realise their real value. It's as simple as that.

I'm glad to get that off of my chest, the viewing was a frustrating experience and so easily improved with just a bit of thought and care being taken. The actual room auction was smooth and well run but as you'd expect the clearance rate was fairly ordinary. I wonder if it could be improved by taking some of the simple steps I've outlined above?

In between working, looking after a young family and keeping my life going in some sort of order I don't actually get the chance to visit an actual bricks and mortar coin shop too often these days. Luckily childcare, the new school year and a flexible work schedule all came together yesterday and I managed to get half a day to indulge myself in my hobby. I headed south of Adelaide onto Unley Road to "At the Toss of a Coin" which is owned and run by Gerry McGinley. Gerry's shop sells a little bit of everything but his two main lines are coins and sporting memorabilia with a focus on South Australian football in particular. The shop is long and narrow, perhaps 4 meters wide and 15 or so meters deep and the way the stock is organised is clearly a reflection of Gerry's personality, it is neat, clean, well labelled and simple to browse through. The shop is clean (Gerry was mopping when I was there yesterday!) and well lit and every time I have been there it has been a pleasant experience.

Gerry himself is very friendly and knowledgeable about Australian pre decimal coinage and world coins (with a great focus on South Africa and other coins of the old British Empire). It is clear though that his real passion is the sporting side of his business and I'd dare to say that his store has more South Australian focussed sports memorabilia than any other shop in the world! Anyway, back to the coins, as I mentioned the coins are all well organised either into the cabinets lining one wall or into folders that Gerry is happy to let customers look through. Coins are stored correctly in neatly labelled 2x2 coin holders with accurate grades, any faults noted, and usually a price clearly displayed. When you've seen some of Gerry's clearly labelled coin holders you'll start seeing them all over Australia, obviously other coin dealers can appreciate how well he grades and cares for his stock as they don't bother re-holdering coins that have passed through his hands at some time in the past! A quick note on Gerry's grading, I feel that he is a very consistent grader and if anything a little conservative and he will clearly note any faults that a coin may possess such as a cleaning or damage. Because of the conservative and consistency of his grading I've found that the right coins purchased from him and then sent onto PCGS for third party grading and encapsulation tend to do very well.

Like so many things in life collecting and purchasing coins is all about relationships with other people, and visiting a coin store and dealing with the owner or staff is no different. It will be well worth your time to be friendly with your local coin dealer, to let him or her know your interests, and of course to purchase from them (try not to use up all their time and never buy anything). Once your dealer knows you are a serious collector and has an idea of your collecting interests and budget they will make your visit to their store an altogether more enjoyable experience. Gerry clearly has a core of very loyal customers who visit 'At the Toss of a Coin', he seems to know almost everyone who enters his shop by name and by collecting interest and if he has anything new of interest for them. And those that he doesn't know personally he quickly and cheerfully determines their area of collecting and points them in the right direction. Certainly he kept me occupied for nearly 4 hours yesterday showing me coins in boxes, folders, and coins he pulled from out the back of the shop. He knows what I am interested in and I was shown a progression of interesting pre-decimal errors, high grade pennies and some lovely threepences and sixpences. He managed to do all of this while occupying all the other visitors to his shop, answer the phone and mop the floor! A true professional.

I know this kind of sounds like a paid advertisement but it isn't, I like Gerry and I like his shop very much, it's consistently the best coin shop experience I've had since I've been collecting. Gerry helps to make this so, he's a fun guy to be around and just knows a lot about coins and grading and is full of funny coin oriented stories. At the Toss of a Coin can be found at Shop 2/219 Unley Road in Malvern and if you're in Adelaide and collect coins you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not popping in for a look around. A couple of warnings though, firstly Gerry and electronic devices don't appear to get along, he doesn't accept credit cards and EFTPOS isn't available so come armed with cash. If you forget theres a NAB ATM just across the road. Secondly Gerry doesn't stock much, if any RAM product, so don't head in there expecting to buy mint sets or proof sets, he just doesn't have it.