Australian coins celebrating late queen criticised for poor likeness
Two Australian coins commemorating Queen Elizabeth II have been criticised for failing to resemble the late monarch. The $5 (£2.56) and 50c (26p) silver coins, created by the Royal Australian Mint to mark the centenary of the queen’s birth, were released in an online ballot that closed on Wednesday.
Collectors on social media debated whether the portrait is regal or more like a film or TV character, with Mrs Doubtfire, Mrs Brown from Irish comedy Mrs Brown’s Boys, and cartoon character Shrek cited as comparisons. The Royal Australian Mint defended the design, saying: “Our coin images don’t always capture the full beauty of a design once it’s etched in metal.” The obverse shows a front-on portrait of the queen, who died at 96 in 2022, surrounded by symbols of her life and passions, including horses, corgis, theatre, art, and her favourite flowers, roses and lily of the valley.
Australia