Everything You Need To Know About Coin Rotation Errors On Australian Coins

Описание: For more information about which coins are known to have rotation errors and other coins, check out my book, the Pirate Guide here:
https://australiacoins.org/PrintedBook

As you'd know, most Australian coins have a heads side and a tails side. (Occasionally there's a coin with two heads sides, but that's a different video) The heads side is designed to line up with the tails side, and if they don't line up, it's called a Rotation Error. It can be hard to notice as you don't see the heads and tails side-by-side. The heads and tails sides are still printed correctly, but just at the wrong angle to each other. Another name for this “Rotation Error” is an “Upset Die Error”,

because the die that created the coin was not aligned properly. The easiest way to check for a rotation error is to hold the top and bottom of the coin with one side (heads or tails) at the correct orientation and then spin the coin.

If you want to be sure, another trick is to put a rubber band or piece of string vertically and spin the coin If you think you’ve found a rotation error, compare it to another coin with a similar design to see what the alignment should be.

The portrait on the heads side changes every few years, so you can get an idea of the correct rotation for each heads side design by comparing your coin to other coins with the same portrait.

The rotation error is often measured like a clock... Oops sorry, a round clock.

1 o’clock, 2’oclock and so on. For normal coins, the Queen’s crown is generally pointing to 12 O’Clock, so you can use her crown to help determine the angle (or the time) of the rotation.

1 o’clock is a small rotation, whereas something like 5 o’clock is considered dramatic. For the 2001 dollar coin commemorating Centenary of Federation, there have been so many different rotations found that some folks have made an actual clock from the different rotations. Coins to look for...
There are several Aussie coins that are well known to have the rotation error... 1966 Five and Ten Cent. The Five Cent is very scarce! 2001 Dollar commemorating Federation.
2001 Twenty Cent. There were a lot of different Twenty Cent coin designs in 2001, so you're looking
for the one with the standard platypus design. 2010 Fifty Cent – this one is always at the same angle.

Despite the small rotation, these rotated 2010 Fifty Cent coins are very popular with collectors. While these are the most well-known rotation errors, I’d recommend to check all your coins for the rotation error, as there are many other coins that have been found with rotations.


Coins from other countries...

When you compare Australian coins to other countries, you’ll notice that there are different orientations. The Australian orientation is called “Medal Alignment”.

However, coins from the United States are set to rotate when you hold from the sides instead of the top/bottom. This is called “Coin Alignment”.

Not an error!

One coin that causes some confusion when it comes to rotation is the 2019 Fifty Cent Indigenous Language coin.

In fact, one of the reasons I made this video is because I frequently get asked questions about this coin. The languages are meant to be 90 degrees, so that no one language is above another - they're all equal. So this is the normal orientation for this coin.

At this stage, I'm not aware of any verified rotations for this coin, but please let me know if you come across one. Likewise, many of the colours on the coloured coins are designed to rotate at different angles without affecting the coin's appearance. If you look at 2 copies of the same coin, chances are their colours are at different angles. For example with this coin, you'll notice that the colours are all at different rotations compared to the wallaby in the centre. That said, the coin's background design should still align to the Heads side on coloured coins, same as other coins. There has been a different approach with the new Aboriginal Flag coin for 2021. More care was taken with the coins in the Mint Set to ensure that the colours of the flag are generally at this angle with the black on top and red on bottom and very little movement.

However, for the coins that were put into circulation, this red and black flag image can be be rotated at any angle.

Summary...

Ultimately, this rotation or upset error could happen with any coin, but there are some well known coins that have this error. So check all of your coins for a rotation, and particularly these coins... 1966 Five Cent.
1966 Ten Cent. 2001 Dollar commemorating Federation. 2001 Twenty Cent (with the standard platypus design).
2010 Fifty Cent.

Please let me know in the comments if you’ve come across other coins with rotations.


For more info on coins to look for in circulation, please visit:
http://australiacoins.org/begin

Happy Hunting!