Australian one-dollar note

One dollar
(Australia)
Value1 Australian dollar
Width140 mm
Height70 mm
Security featuresmetallic security thread, Watermark
Material usedCotton fibre
Years of printing1966–1984
Obverse
DesignElizabeth II and the Coat of Arms of Australia
DesignerGordon Andrews
Design date1965
Reverse
DesignYolngu artwork by David Malangi
DesignerDavid Malangi[1]
Design date1965

The Australian one-dollar note was introduced in 1966 due to decimalisation, to replace the 10-shilling note. The note was issued from its introduction in 1966 until its replacement by the one-dollar coin in 1984. Approximately 1.7 billion one-dollar notes were printed.

Printing

During the note's issue, between its introduction and 1974, the note bore "Commonwealth of Australia" as the identification of country. At least 680,000,000 notes were printed in this time period. After 1974 and until the dollar coin was introduced in 1984, the note bore "Australia" as its identification of country. Around 1,020,000,000 such notes were printed after 1974.[2]

Design

The Australian one-dollar note was designed by Gordon Andrews, the design being accepted in April 1964.

The note features Queen Elizabeth II wearing Garter robes on the obverse with the Australian coat of arms. This portrait was based on a photo taken by Douglas Glass.

The reverse of the note features Aboriginal contemporary art, created by David Malangi. The artwork depicts the "mortuary feast" of one of the artist's creation ancestors, Gunmirringu, the great ancestral hunter. The Manharrngu people attribute this story as the origin of their mortuary rites.[1][3][4] The design was used without the artist's knowledge. It was acknowledged in 1967 with the release of the banknote, and he was later financially compensated after intervention by the Governor of the Reserve Bank, H. C. Coombs, as well as receiving a specially struck medal.[5] The payment by the Reserve Bank to Malangi began issues of Aboriginal copyright in Australia.[5][6]

The reverse also includes a selection of rock art. For example, the group of four figures in the top right corner is taken from an art work found on Injalak mountain, located near Gunbalanya in West Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory of Australia.

Security features

The paper design included a watermark of Captain James Cook in the white field; the watermark was also used in the last issue of pound banknotes. An upright internal metallic strip was first placed near the centre of the note, then from 1976 was moved to the left side as viewed from the obverse.

Removal from circulation

The one-dollar note was replaced by the current gold-coloured coin on 13 May 1984 (Monday), due to the longer service life and cost effectiveness of coins.[7][8] These notes can still be redeemed at face value by the Reserve Bank of Australia and most commercial banks,[9] but numismatics and note collectors may pay a higher price for these notes depending on age and condition.

References

  1. ^ a b "David Malangi". The Australian Art Print Network. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  2. ^ "The Right Note - History of Australian Banknotes". Archived from the original on 2 December 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-19.
  3. ^ "No Ordinary Place: The Art of David Malangi" (Adobe Acrobat). National Gallery of Australia website. Canberra: National Gallery of Australia. 2004. p. 6. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  4. ^ "David Malangi". The Australian Art Print Network. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
  5. ^ a b "No ordinary place: the art of David Malangi" (PDF). National Gallery of Australia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2015.
  6. ^ "Ramingining art centre". Bula'Bula Arts. 20 January 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  7. ^ "The Australian Dollar -Our Mob of Roos Coin Turns 25".
  8. ^ "Flashback", page 6, Brisbane News — 11–17 May 2011
  9. ^ Redemption of old Australian Banknotes — Reserve Bank of Australia
Preceded by One dollar (Australian)
1966–1984 		Succeeded by