2002 Kookaburra 1/2oz Silver Square Proof 50c

This is the first legal tender square 50c to be issued in Australia. The concept however is not new. Between 1919 and 1921 the Commonwealth Government considered replacing the bulky bronze pennies and halfpennies with smaller lighter square nickel coins. A number of patterns were struck each featuring a kookaburra design. The concept failed following concerns about the difficulty of manufacture and incompatibility with coin-operated vending machines of the time.

This particular 99.9% pure silver proof is housed encapsulated on a presentation card featuring a moving image. Lenticular printing technology was used to portray the effect of a kookaburra hopping along the branch of a gum tree. The coin may be toned