Royal Australian Mint “Great Barrier Reef” Wins Most Artistic Coin Category
The Royal Australian Mint $5 Great Barrier Reef coin won the Most Artistic Coin category in the Coin of the Year Awards for 2022-dated coins. The winning dome shaped coin features the Great Barrier Reef and is the first in the Mint’s Beauty, Rich and Rare series.
As described by the Royal Australian Mint, the coin is a “nod to one of Australia’s most loved natural wonders and feature just some of the 600 types of coral, 1,600 fish species and 133 varieties of sharks and rays that call this diverse ecosystem home.”
The Great Barrier Reef stretches for over 1,429 miles and has an area of 133,000 square miles. It is the largest coral reef ecosystem on Earth and home to the world’s largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusk.
The award-winning Great Barrier Reef coin was designed Bronwyn Scott. The reverse features a colorful school of fish at its center, which is surrounded by other inhabitants of the coral reef. The inscriptions “GREAT BARRIER REEF,” “2022 BEAUTY, RICH & RARE,” and the denomination “$5” are also included.
The coin’s obverse features the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II designed by Jody Clark. The sixth crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II depicts her facing right, wearing the George IV State Diadem and the Victorian Coronation Necklace. The coin includes leaves and coral around the portrait.
The coin measures 39.62 mm in diameter and weighs 31.1035 grams. Mintage is limited to 7,500 coins.