Australia 1970 5 cents

from the Stonecat Collection

In 1966, Australia abandoned the sterling coinage she had used since the days of Captain Cook and adopted the decimal dollar and cent. This five cent piece was struck 1966-84. The module is that of the sixpence of the sterling coinage. An older bust of the Queen was used 1985-98. Coinage production, formerly divided among the Sydney, Perth and Melbourne mints, is now concentrated at the Canberra Mint while the Perth mint produces collector coins.

Recorded mintage: 46,058,000 plus 15,000 proofs.

Specifications: 2.83 g, copper-nickel, 19.4 mm diameter, designed by Arnold Machin and Stuart Devlin.

Catalog reference: KM 64.

Sources:

• McDonald, Greg, The Pocket Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes, 23rd ed., Lavington, Australia, 2017.
• Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.

Link to:

• 1967 cent
• 1967 20 cents
• 1968 10 cents
• 1968 20 cents
• 1979 5 cents
• Coins and currency dated 1970