In 2016 the Royal Australian Mint released a full set of six pieces
to commemorate fifty years since the introduction of decimal
currency in Australia. The obverse of each of these pieces includes an internal Australian pre-decimal coin design underneath
an Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II. This one dollar piece includes the Australian Coat of Arms design
by Kruger Gray as featured on a number of pre-decimal coins.
Gray's initials can be found behind the Emus neck (see image below). The obverselegend
states "ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2016 FIFTY YEARS". The reverse features
the standard one dollar design by Stuart Devlin.
Initials (K.G) of designer Kruger Gray on the obverse of the 2016 (50 Years of Decimal Currency) Proof
One Dollar coin.
The Australian pound came into being in 1910 and lasted until 1966. The currency was awkward, with each pound being subdivided
into 20 shillings each of 12 pence. In the 1950s the economic importance of switching to a decimal currency became heavily
discussed. The key argument was that the pound made financial transactions unnecessarily difficult, it was calculated that
this difficulty caused the loss of more than £11 million to the Australian economy every year. After much political debate,
the 14th of February 1966 was chosen as Changeover Day - when the new Australian decimal dollar took over.
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