Summary

Proof coin set based on Andor Mészáros 1966 decimal currency designs, minted and issued by the Perth Mint in May 2009. This is Set Number 1375 of 7,500.

This tribute set contains five coins which reproduce the reverse designs submitted by Andor Mészáros for the low-denomination coins, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1 cent, in Australia's first issue of decimal currency in 1966. The obverse of the coins was designed by Ian Rank-Broadley. The coins in this set are proof quality silver. They were created using plasters supplied by the Mészáros family.

Mészáros was a prominent sculptor and medal artist based in Melbourne. As part of the project to introduce decimal currency to Australia, the Advisory Panel on Coin Design commissioned six artists, including Mészáros, to submit reverse designs for the new coins. Andor's designs included Australian flora (wattle and waratah) and fauna (platypus, yabbie, kookaburra, snake and black swan). The successful artist was Stuart Devlin, a Geelong-born gold and silversmith, now based in England.

This set highlights the artistic endeavours involved in the development of decimal currency, which was a major event in Australia's numismatic history.

Physical Description

5 silver coins in plastic capsules, in presentation box with leaflet. The set is housed in black plastic box with timber lid and yellow metal hinges. The Perth Mint logo, in gold, is inside the lid. The Certificate of Authenticity is included in leaflet form. There is a portrait of Mészáros on the cover. The entire set is housed in a brown and white cardboard box.

Obverse Description

Head of Elizabeth II. Around , ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2009. Artist's initials IRB below neck.

Reverse Description

1 cent: Waratah bloom. The numeral 1 superimposed. Artist's initials AM and symbol, below 2 cent: Wattle flowers and leaves. The numeral 2 superimposed. Artists initial's AM and symbol, lower left. 5 cent: Platypus and yabbie. . The numeral 5 between the animals. Artist's initials AM and symbol, below. 10 cent: Kookaburra head and chest, with snake caught in its beak. The numeral 10 superimposed. Artists initial's AM and symbol, below snake. 20 cent: Black swan in flight. . The numeral 20 below. Artist's initials AM and symbol, lower right.

Significance

For over half a century, sculptors Andor (1900-1973) and Michael (1945- ) Meszaros have created medals that reflect the high points of life in Australia. From major awards and portraits of eminent Australians to artwork celebrating popular culture and the natural world, these objects illuminate our culture and history. Grounded in a centuries-old European art tradition, the medals create connections across disciplines and link such diverse subjects as scientific advances, religious themes, sport, the performing arts and motherhood. Through their public and private commissions and their personal artworks, the Meszaros sculptors have defined the modern Australian medal.

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