Two coins celebrating Queen Elizabeth II, criticized for not resembling the late monarch.
Facebook commemorative coins/ Royal Australian Mint
The 5 Australian dollar and 50 Australian cent silver coins, created by the Royal Australian Mint to commemorate the centenary of the Queen's birth, were launched following an online vote that ended on Wednesday, writes The Guardian.
Collectors on social media have debated whether the portrait of the late queen is royal or more like a character from a film or TV series, citing as closer comparisons the character Mrs Doubtfire, played by Robin Williams in the 1990s film of the same name, Mrs Brown, played by Brendan O'Carroll in the Irish sitcom Mrs Brown's Boys, and the cartoon character Shrek.
The Royal Australian Mint defended the portrait, stating: “The images on our coins do not always capture the full beauty of a design once it is engraved in metal.”
The design of the coin features a frontal portrait of the Queen, who died aged 96 in 2022, surrounded by symbols of her life and passions, including horses, corgis, theatre, art and her favorite flowers, roses and angel tears.
One collector commented under a mint Facebook post: “It doesn't even vaguely resemble her.”
Another joked: “Is this what happens when the Queen is not present to approve the design?”
Others were more positive about the image, which was created by one of the mint's artists, describing it as “wonderful' and 'beautiful'.
Australian media reported that the Royal Australian Mint said the silver coins had run out and that there was limited stock left in its contact center and store. According to the mint's website, it struck 30,000 50-cent coins and 5,000 $5 coins, all of which are collectibles and did not enter general public circulation.
The reverse of the coins features the profile of the Queen's son, King Charles.
