Twelve-year-old Isabella "Izzie" Zaharis reckoned she would keep the very sellable dollar coin she had just minted. Or at least her mother did.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
"It'll stay in the family," her mother Leisa Zaharis said quickly as her daughter contemplated selling it.
The girl from Wollongong had just come top of the ballot to be allowed to press the button at the Royal Australian Mint for the country's first coin of the year.
It was also the world's first newly-minted coin of 2024. Because New Zealand, ahead of Australia on the time zone, doesn't have a mint, Isabella's coin was the first minted in 2024 anywhere.
As Izzie did the business inside the Mint, another 99 people waited outside for their chance to mint the next 99.
Coin dealer Tomas Rodriguez at number 23 in the queue outside said that the first coin of the year could be resold to collectors for anything from $600 to $1000 dollars.
"After coin number one, the value does drop quite significantly. Number two might be worth $400 to $500. Number three might be worth $300 to $400," Mr Rodriguez of Aussie Coins and Notes said.
"After you get beyond 10, they would all be worth about $150 each, maybe $200."
He said he was number 23 "very proudly" - so was the wait worth it? "Definitely".
The theme of the new set of coins is "Out of the World - Australia in Space". King Charles is on one side and images of space are on the reverse (the tails side).
The chief executive of the Mint, Leigh Gordon, said, "This year, we collaborated with the Australian Space Agency to showcase the incredible discoveries our astrophysicists are making in what is known as the final frontier or deep space."
Astrophysicist and cosmologist at the Mount Stromlo Observatory Brad Tucker said the new theme on Australian coins was "exciting to be a part of".
"Our connection to space and the stars is always amazing. From Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who have measured and connected with stars for 60,000 years, to the Apollo 11 landing, and beyond, we like to look up," he said.
"Now, we can enjoy a bit of that connection on our coins."
Those first 100 coins minted on January 1 can be used in the shops but they also came with a certificate of authenticity so they have the extra value to collectors.
There was a little bit of a glitch. The Mint's chief executive drew the first number out of the revolving drum and announced it as 0990 - but nobody came forward to claim the number and so get the first coin of the year.
There was some speculation among the people watching that he had in fact read the ticket the wrong way up, so it was really 0660 - which would mean that the holder of the 0660 ticket may wonder if he or she lost the chance of a collectible - and sellable - item.
Not so, said the Mint. The tickets had the numbers underlined so they could only be read one way.
Steve Evans
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
Steve Evans is a reporter on The Canberra Times. He's been a BBC correspondent in New York, London, Berlin and Seoul and the sole reporter/photographer/paper deliverer on The Glen Innes Examiner in country New South Wales. "All the jobs have been fascinating - and so it continues."
