Imagine pulling out a handful of coins and suddenly a soldier from 1918 is staring back at you. That’s the vibe. This isn’t your boring old platypus or queen’s head. The design shows a silhouette of a young man against a poppy field, carrying a rifle and a heavy-looking pack.
It was released to mark the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli landings. The mint wanted to make sure we didn’t just stick a poppy in our lapel; they wanted us to carry a little stainless-steel reminder of the cost. And by golly, they succeeded in making us feel guilty for spending it on a meat pie.
A Surprising Fact That Will Win You a Bar Bet
Here’s the twist that will make you look like a genius at trivia night. The coin has a coloured poppy in the centre. Yes, a red poppy, printed right onto the metal. This was a huge deal because coloured coins are notoriously tricky to make without the colour wearing off into your lint-covered pocket.
But the real shocker? The Royal Australian Mint accidentally minted about 6,000 of these coins with a “Double Obverse” — meaning the Queen’s head appears on both sides instead of the soldier. That’s like buying a history book where page one and page two are both the copyright page. Those errors are now worth a small fortune, selling for up to $3,500 on eBay.
