Australia: Festive Holidays Celebrated Down Under With Silver Coins Depicting Western Australian Christmas Tree

The festive holiday coins cleverly remind those of us who are resident in the Northern Hemisphere that Christmas Down Under has many different traditions involving sun and sand. As the seasons are reversed and the Southern Hemisphere is in the middle of summer, many Australians take time during the Christmas holiday to enjoy the outdoors during the Christmas break. This year, the distinctive design highlights the distinctive shrub known as Nuytsia floribunda, a hemi-parasitic tree found in Western Australia. With its riotous display of golden flowers in the dry outback landscape, the characteristic blooms celebrate the uniquely summer Christmas in Australia. The species is known locally as moodjar and more recently, the Christmas tree or Western Australian Christmas tree since the display of intensely bright flowers during the austral summer coincides with the Christmas season.

 The striking canopy element of the Western Australia Christmas tree is superbly reimagined as a festive Christmas wreath. Designed by Royal Australian Mint graphic artist Lydia Ashe, the coin’s reverse is inspired by the striking Western Australian Christmas tree, the arrangement features a glittering golden wreath in glorious colour, framing a kaleidoscopic sculpted centre of stylised delicate leaves and branches. The year of issue, 2024 is centred in the design. The obverse depicts the Commonwealth effigy of HM King Charles III created by Graphic Artist Dan Thorne. The year of issue 2024 is included in the legend CHARLES III AUSTRALIA surrounding the effigy along with the denomination 50 CENTS which is placed under the King’s likeness.

Housed in a coin-card format, each BU base metal coin is encapsulated and stylishly presented in the Mint's clever and unique pop-out decoration card in a choice of five foiled colours of green, orange, red, white and yellow enabling the coin itself to be used as a Christmas tree ornament. The sterling silver proof coin is presented in a special hanging ornament capsule with Mint branded ribbon and enclosed in a custom case accompanied with a certificate of authenticity. For additional information, please visit the e-webshop of the Royal Australian Mint.