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Royal Australian Mint launches ‘golden ticket’ style treasure hunt

Nov 02, 2018

Check your wallets! A "golden ticket" style hunt has been launched by the Australian Royal Mint and your $1 coins could earn you big prizes. Source: Shutterstock

If you’ve got a wallet full of coins, now might be the time to check them very closely.

For the first time in Australian history, the Royal Australian Mint has launched the nation’s first ever $1 coin hunt. Australia’s Dollar Discovery officially launched on Thursday as a fun way of getting the public excited about coin collecting.

The mint has released three million specially marked $1 coins and finding a set could earn you big prizes. Each of the special coins are marked with the letters A, U, S and are stamped with the number 35 and dated 2019. This is to mark the 35th anniversary of the $1 coin entering circulation, the first of which were released to the public on May 14, 1984.

New Australian $1 coins — Look out for the letters A, U, and S and number 35 on the new coins. Source: Royal Australian Mint

The first 50,000 people to find a coin and register online will receive a special coin collection folder. Others will also enter the draw to win one of eight trips to Canberra to stay at the Jamala Wildlife Lodge. They will also have the chance to mint their very own one-kilogram pure silver coin, as well as receive a VIP tour of the Royal Australian Mint.

An additional 250 winners will receive a $150 gift voucher to spend on any Royal Australian Mint product, while 5,000 people will win their very own Aussie Dollar Discovery piggybank.

Of course, the coins will also become a valuable collector item over time and will no doubt be a prized addition to any collector’s book.

“At a time of growing ‘intangibility’, the Royal Australian Mint (the Mint) is delighted to launch a program to encourage a whole new generation of collectors both young and old, who will not only collect these coins but also be reminded of the value of a dollar,” CEO of the Royal Australian Mint Ross MacDiarmid said in a statement. “The need to collect is as old as humanity and transcends time and culture.

“Australia’s Dollar Discovery is a nationwide treasure hunt that we hope encourages Australians of all ages and from every state and territory to check their change for these special coins.”

special $1 coin Australia — In addition to the “A” coin, Aussies will need to find the “U” and “S” to be eligible for prizes. Source: Royal Australian Mint

It follows a similar campaign that was launched earlier this year by the British Royal Mint. It released a special series of 26 10-pence coins that celebrated the best of British life. Dubbed the Official Great British Coin Hunt, each coin represented a letter of the alphabet and uniquely highlighted something that is quintessentially British.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=121&v=n1pcutKjTr0

Just 100,000 coins of each were created, meaning 2.6 million coins were made available to the public. Everything from the iconic English breakfast to London’s famous double-decker buses made the cut.

Australian collectors will need to register their coins at dollardiscovery.com.au. The competition is open until April 30, 2019 and winners will need to present proof of their coins to claim the major prize.