2017-01-03 Tue

As per the yearly tradition, one lucky person gets to strike the world’s first coin of the year at the Royal Australian Mint on 1st January. Many collectors waited for hours and days this year as well to grab this lifetime opportunity.

This year’s coin commemorates 100 years of the Trans-Australian Railway which is a 1698-kilometre track that connected Kalgoorlie and Port Augusta across the Nullarbor Plain. The project helped Australia become a more united and progressive nation. The coin features a G-Class locomotive along with carriages that were used on the original journey 100 years ago. The fine silver coin has a mintage limit of 4,500 and can be purchased for $50 AUD each while the gold coin has a mintage limit of 1,000 and can be purchased for $300 each.

The first 100 people in the queue would receive a certificate for being the first people worldwide to strike a coin in 2017. The first person will receive a special coin set including the coins from the mintmark and privy mark set and the fine silver proof version, along with the certificate number 1. The ‘C’ for Canberra Visitor Press coin for $3 is only available by visiting the Mint in Canberra.