Australia: Distinctive crest of Queensland features on latest “Coat of Arms” gold and silver bullion coin series 

The Royal Australian Mint has released the third design, which is part of the series entitled “Australia’s Coat of Arms.” The Royal Australian Mint’s “Coat of Arms” series of investment and collector coins are characterised by quintessentially Australian designs that tell a uniquely Australian story. Each coin in the series features imaginatively recreated elements of the coat of arms of Australia, its states, and its territories. For 2023, the coat of arms of the state of Queensland is featured with a bold new interpretation of the traditional and regal crest. The oldest of all of Australia’s coat of arms, it was granted by royal warrant of Queen Victoria in 1893. The first coat of arms consisted of a shield divided into four quarters with images of cattle, sheep, wheat, and gold, all symbolising the-then colony’s great wealth. Above the shield was the image of a Maltese cross with a representation of the Tudor crown superimposed over and it was amended to depict St. Edward’s cross in 1953. The present coat of arms was amended in 1977 in time for the silver jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, at which time a rampant stag and brolga, Australia’s largest waterbird, were added as supporters to the shield. The design retained the Latin motto Audax at Fidelis, translating to “Bold but Faithful.” The stag, which is not native to Australia, symbolises the country’s connection to the old world, as Queen Victoria gave as a gift a herd of deer from the royal hunting ground to the colony. The elegant brolga is Queensland’s official state bird, which also symbolises the indigenous population.

Designed by the Royal Australian Mint’s own Aaron Baggio, The reverse side shared on both the gold and silver one-ounce coins features a  brolga, a cow, and a ram as the main sculpted components of the design. These animals surround the denomination of 100 DOLLARS (gold) or 1 DOLLAR (silver), and a crossed shovel and pickaxe enclosed within the shape of a shield. In the backdrop is a field of wheat and sugarcane. A banner at the bottom of the base of the design features the name QUEENSLAND.

The obverse design features a red deer as the main focus, a Maltese cross overlaid with a royal crown and a knight’s helmet. A small version of the Commonwealth memorial effigy of the Late Queen Elizabeth II is shown towards the upper right half of the coin within a circle. Below the primary design along the lower rim is Queensland’s state motto, AUDAX AT FIDELIS, to the left and the coins’ specifications 1 OUNCE .9999 Au (gold) or .999 Ag (silver). The background of the coin design features a band of ribboned foliage adapted from the original Queensland coat of arms.

Denom.	Metal	Weight	Diameter	Quality	Mintage Limit
1 dollar	.999 Silver	31.1 g	40 mm	Bullion Brilliant Unc.	50,000
100 dollars	.9999 Gold	31.1 g	38.7 mm	Bullion Brilliant Unc.	5,000

Each coin is struck with the Royal Australian Mint’s Brilliant Uncirculated bullion quality finish and encapsulated. They are available directly from the Royal Australian Mint for Australian residents or from one of their authorised national and international distributors for collectors abroad. For additional information, please click here for the silver coin or here for the gold coin.

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