Coins of the Australian pound Coins of the Australian pound Federation in 1901 gave the Commonwealth a constitutional power to issue coins and removed this power from the States. However, British coins continued in use until 1910, when Australian silver coins were introduced. These included florins, shillings, sixpences and threepences. They had a portrait of King Edward VII on one side. Australian pennies and half-pennies were introduced into circulation the following year. In 1931 gold sovereigns stopped being minted in Australia. A crown or five-shilling coin was minted in 1937 and 1938. In 1898 the British government allowed two colonies, New South Wales and Victoria,
Coins of the pound sterling one-pound coin, depicts the entire shield of arms on the reverse. All current coins carry a Latin inscription whose full form is , meaning "Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen and Defender of the Faith". In addition to the circulating coinage, the UK also mints commemorative decimal coins (crowns) in the denomination of five pounds. Prior to decimalisation, the denomination of special commemorative coins was five shillings, that is, of a pound. Crowns, therefore, had a face value of 25p from decimalisation until 1981, when the last 25p crown was struck. Ceremonial Maundy money and bullion coinage of