This 2011 One Dollar piece was issued to commemoratethe iconic Ram design used on the Australian Shilling between 1938
and 1963. The reverse features the iconic Ram head with the
legend
"AUSTRALIA ONE DOLLAR". A number of varieties were produced including a 'C' mint-mark piece, various privy-marked coins,
and a silver
proof
piece. The obverse features the standard Ian Rank-Broadley portrait
of HM Queen Elizabeth II with the
legend
"ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2011".
Sydney (S) privy-mark on a 2011-S One Dollar (Ram Head) piece.
The Shilling Ram design was based on the Grant Champion Ram at the 1932 Sydney Sheep show. The ram was described in the
Sydney Mail as "...one of the most magnificent Merinos ever seen in Sydney."
(Merino New South Wales, 2009)
Artist George Kruger Gray, motivated by the importance of wool to Australian economic history and the magnificence of
this ram, designed the reverse of the Australian shilling in its image. The post 1938 ram's head shilling is today one of
Australia's most iconic pieces.
(Laurissa Smith, 2014)
Find out what dealers are paying with a subscription.
