Coin Profile: Remembering Military Service Through Coins
Anzac Day is annually celebrated on April 25 in Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and other Pacific Nations in remembrance of the contributions of military soldiers. Within the recent releases from…
Anzac Day is annually celebrated on April 25 in Australia, New Zealand, Tonga, and other Pacific Nations in remembrance of the contributions of military soldiers. Within the recent releases from the Royal Australian Mint are two new coins that acknowledge this dawn of service: the “Lest We Forget: Dawn Service” and “75th Anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong.”
Lest We Forget: Dawn Service
All photographs are courtesy of the Royal Australian Mint.
Created for Anzac Day, illustrated in the center of this coin’s reverse is a quiet moment. As dawn approaches, the sun rises across an ocean, with print protection ridges shaping the rays: bold and straight above the water, then softening into gentle waves.
Underneath the sun is a field of poppies that, as the eye follows the horizon, transforms into a crowd. The large gathering represents the thousands who gather for the dawn services each year for the holiday.
“Each Anzac Day, before the sun lifts above the horizon, Australians gather in a shared stillness,” says Assistant Minister for Productivity, Competition, Charities and Treasury, the Hon. Andrew Leigh MP. “This coin captures that fleeting moment in metal, carrying the memory of service and sacrifice into everyday life.”
Standing above the crowd on the headland is a soldier. Facing the horizon with a head bowed, they stand in contemplation, representing all the soldiers who served and died in service.
The series comes in a AUD$2 “C” mintmark colored uncirculated and AUD$2 “C” mintmark fine silver proof varieties. The design is also set to appear on a circulating coin.
75th Anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong
Occurring 75 years ago in the hills of Korea, Australian soldiers were embattled in the Korean War. From April 23 to 25 in 1951, the Australian military fought alongside Canadian and British battalions against Chinese forces in the Battle of Kapyong.
To honor the courage and sacrifice of these soldiers, the Mint has released a commemorative 50-cent coin titled “75th Anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong.”
In order to depict such an emotional, historic moment, the Mint’s coin is designed to evoke a sense of remembrance and connection. Shown on the reverse is a view of the hills and rugged terrain of the Kapyong Valley.
On the right side of the coin are soldiers of the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, standing in line on Hill 504, a critical location during the battle for the Australian military.
The latitude and longitude coordinates of where the battle took place bisect the design, with a lattice inspired by the wooden frames on traditional Korean doors and windows, called munsal, filling the lower portion.
Inside this design is Australia’s symbolic wattle motif woven through the lattice with 32 red poppies placed inside the pattern, the number chosen for the number of Australian soldiers who lost their lives at the Battle of Kapyong.
For more information about these coins, visit the Royal Australian Mint.
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