2017 Australian 20c Coin

Description

TWENTY CENT

Circulating coins are the coins Australians use everyday. They are mass-produced coins and made from base metals such as copper, nickel and aluminium, struck at the rate of up to 650 per minute.

While they ordinarily feature reverse designs of Australian fauna (or an Aboriginal elder on the two dollar coin), many commemorative coins are released to mark events, people or organisations which have had a significant impact on Australian society.

The process of minting them is the process of transferring a design from a die onto a blank piece of metal under tremendous force – generally 140 tonnes of pressure.

The twenty cent coin was first introduced with decimal currency on 14 February 1966. The original reverse design of a platypus remained unchanged until 1995. This denomination has since been used for commemorative designs.

All twenty cent coins in the first issue in 1966 were produced at the Royal Mint, London. The Royal Australian Mint did not commence twenty cent coin production until the next financial year. Quantities of twenty cents have also been struck by the Royal Mint, Llantrisant and the Royal Canadian Mint.