The first Australian braille coin

In 2018, Australia hosted the 4th Invictus Games, which is an adaptive sports event for injured armed services personnel. To commemorate the event, the Royal Australian Mint released a circulating 2 Dollar coin together with a colored and a silver commemorative 1 Dollar coin. What’s interesting about the Dollar coin is that with this release, Australia joined the list of a few countries which issued a braille coin.

Braille coins are relatively rare, so I was very interested about what motivated the Royal Australian Mint to release this coin, and what were their possible challenges. I sent an email to the Royal Australian Mint and received a prompt response for my questions, which follows below.

I would be most curious what made you pick braille as one representation of disabilities, as minting braille is rather challenging, and few countries were able to do this right.

“In close collaboration with the Invictus Games Team, the Royal Australian Mint (The Mint) developed a three coin Invictus Games Sydney 2018 program, including the ‘Invictus Games Sydney 2018 $1 Coloured Frosted Uncirculated Coin’ featuring symbolic braille. All three of the coins represent different disabilities and the Mint thought that a coin featuring symbolic braille was a meaningful way of introducing non-visible injuries and sharing the stories of some of the Invictus athletes with blindness injuries. Braille is widely recognisable and the coin designer made the decision to use braille to carry this important message through the coins’ artwork and design. Across all three coin designs in the program, the Mint portrayed a range of athletes with visible and non-visible disability.”

Did you work with other mints who had designed braille coins before?

“No, the Mint worked with the Invictus Games and Vision Australia in the development of the ‘Invictus Games Sydney 2018 $1 Coloured Frosted Uncirculated Coin’ and approved the design of the coin which includes braille.”

What were your challenges during the design process?

“As coins have limited space to tell a story, developing words in braille to fit the limited space of a coin was a challenge for the designers. The coin’s unique braille visual reads ‘Sydney 18’ and is accompanied by an image of a wounded competitor, symbolising the healing power of sport to inspire recovery and support rehabilitation.”

Who else did you consult during the design process?

“The Mint consulted with Vision Australia, the leading national provider of vision loss support and services. Vision Australia worked with the Mint to develop the braille visual. The Invictus Games also approved the design and use of braille.”

How was the reception of your first braille coin?

“The first coin featuring symbolic braille in the design was received positively. Upon launching the coin in September 2018, we received both local and national media attention. The coin was shared and praised widely on social media by disability advocates, Vision Australia and the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children amongst others.”

Are you planning to use braille on Australian coins again?

“The Mint has no immediate plans to release a new coin featuring braille at this stage.”

Is there anything else you would like to share with my readers?

“This was a rewarding process and the Mint is incredibly proud to have been able to produce this coin, which was made possible through the incredible support from the Invictus Games and guidance of Vision Australia.”

I am truly thankful for the Royal Australian Mint for answering my questions. It is wonderful that now Australia has also joined the list of countries who have issued a braille coin. Congratulations for this great work.

Images are courtesy of the Royal Australian Mint.