1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 Coin
The 1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 is a circulating $1 coin with 21.6 million made. Value band: face value. Here is how to recognize it, what makes one worth more and what to check on yours.
- Year
- 1988
- Circulation mintage
- 21,600,000
- Value band
- Face value
- Composition
- Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel)
Original illustration of the coin's shape and metal. Tap to flip. Not a picture of the actual design.
Face value · Small premium · Collector premium · Significant rarity. We use bands because prices change daily.
What is a 1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 worth?
21.6 million were made, so the 1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 is easy to find. A circulated one is worth face value; collectors pay a little more only for uncirculated coins.
What would make yours worth more:
- Uncirculated condition
- An original mint roll, card or set
- A genuine mint error
For market prices, look at recent sold results for the same coin in the same condition, not asking prices.
Quick answers
- Is the 1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 rare?
- No. 21.6 million were made, so circulated examples are worth face value.
- How many 1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 coins were made?
- 21,600,000 were struck for circulation.
- What is the 1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 made of?
- Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel). It weighs 9 g and measures 25 mm.
- Is the 1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 still legal tender?
- Yes. Every $1 coin, commemoratives included, is legal tender in Australia.
Why the 1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 was made
The bicentenary of British settlement in 1988 was the biggest national commemoration Australia had held. Marking 200 years since the First Fleet reached Sydney Cove on 26 January 1788, it brought a year of events, from tall ships on Sydney Harbour to the opening of the new Parliament House in Canberra. For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people it was a year of protest, a reminder that their history in Australia stretched back far longer than 200 years.
The Royal Australian Mint produced commemorative coins in several denominations, including a 50c with a First Fleet ship and this $1. The dollar had a circulation mintage of 21,600,000. Its design took a different route from the 50c by drawing on Aboriginal art, a choice that reflected the growing recognition of Indigenous culture during the bicentenary year. The coin appeared in the 1988 mint and proof sets too. Many were set aside as souvenirs at the time, so the coin is still common in inherited collections and old money boxes. It is a coin that shows how the bicentenary was marked in more than one way. It remains one of the most distinctive dollars of the 1980s.
How to recognize it
Stuart Devlin, who created the regular mob of kangaroos design, designed this reverse. It shows a kangaroo drawn in the style of Aboriginal art, a striking change from the lifelike animals on the everyday dollar. The coin is quite unlike the 1988 Bicentenary 50c, which shows a sailing ship. On the obverse is Raphael Maklouf's portrait of Queen Elizabeth II with 1988 in the legend. The coin follows standard specifications: 25 mm across, 9 g of aluminum bronze and an interrupted milled edge. The stylized, patterned kangaroo is how you tell this coin from a regular 1988 dollar with its lifelike mob.
1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 by the numbers
Measured by how many were made, the 1988 Australian Bicentenary $1 ranks 19th lowest of 27 circulating $1 coins with a published mintage. The next scarcer is the 2009 Age Pension Centenary $1 (21.3 million); the next more common is the 2014 Centenary of ANZAC $1 (21.9 million).
For scale, the most common is the 2002 Year of the Outback $1 with 35.4 million, about 1.6 times as many. The scarcest is the 2016 50 Years of Decimal Currency $1 with 560,000, 39 times fewer than this one.
It was the only circulating commemorative $1 coin dated 1988.
What to check on your 1988 Australian Bicentenary $1
- Confirm the design and date: Australian Bicentenary dated 1988.
- Check the shape and size: the $1 is round, 25 mm across, gold-colored and weighs 9 g.
- Look at the surfaces under a light. Coins from mint rolls or sets have unbroken luster; change-worn coins show scuffs on the high points.
- Never clean it. Polishing leaves fine scratches and an unnatural shine that collectors avoid.
With 21.6 million in circulation, this is a common dollar and worn examples are face value. Collectors look for coins with crisp detail in the patterned kangaroo and bright, original color. Those can carry a small premium, especially from the 1988 mint sets. Aluminum bronze darkens and spots over time, so don't clean it: a cleaned coin loses interest immediately. A soft brush and a holder are all it needs. It pairs well with the 1988 50c as a bicentenary pair. Check the kangaroo's patterned body for wear before deciding a coin is a keeper.
Mintage chart
Specifications
| Country | Australia |
|---|---|
| Denomination | 1 dollar |
| Issuer | Royal Australian Mint |
| Year | 1988 |
| Circulation mintage | 21,600,000 |
| Composition | Aluminum bronze (92% copper, 6% aluminum, 2% nickel) |
| Weight | 9 g |
| Diameter | 25 mm |
| Shape | Round |
| Edge | Interrupted milling |
Frequently asked questions
What is on the 1988 Bicentenary $1?
A kangaroo drawn in the style of Aboriginal art, designed by Stuart Devlin. It replaced the usual mob of kangaroos for the 1988 bicentenary, marking 200 years since the First Fleet arrived in 1788.
How many 1988 Bicentenary dollar coins were made?
The circulation mintage was 21,600,000. Because so many were made and kept as souvenirs, the coin is common today and circulated examples are face value. Uncirculated coins from the 1988 mint set are the best preserved and can carry a small premium.
Mintage figures: Australian one-dollar coin (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0), compiled from Royal Australian Mint figures. How we build these pages.