A dog who featured in the Great Aussie Coin Hunt 3 series

The Australian Kelpie

The Australian Kelpie is one of the breeds descended from dogs known as Scotch Collies (like Lassie, who was actually a related breed, a Rough Collie).

(Black and tan kelpies, from ABC Australia)

Kelpies are world famous for their intelligence, loyalty, courage and tenacity, working with all types of livestock and in varied conditions, throughout Australia. Early Collie dogs were sometimes known as the “Highland Smooth Collies” or “Hill Gathering Collies” and were predominantly black and tan, black or occasionally red, slate grey or cream. They had very little, if any white markings.

Many of the original settlers in Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia were Scots who imported dogs from various areas of Scotland.

Amongst Collies there were different types: Short haired, medium or long haired, tall, medium or compact in stature. The breeding history of the Kelpie is recounted by the Casterton Kelpie Association. The breed is still a very popular farm dog today, as well as a loyal pet. Macca is a dog rescued by the Australian army from a shelter and trained as a bomb detection dog. The “Red Dog” who inspired the film of that name, was a red Kelpie.

PNC cover

The cover features two kelpies: black, and black and tan, facing forward against a green, grassy background. The text “Sheepdog trials 150 years” runs up between them, dividing where the two images meld together. The stamp features a red kelpie with denomination $1.10. It is postmarked with an outline of a kelpie facing left and dated 9 May 2022, from Hall, ACT, 2618.

The reverse is plain with information about the subject:

“Sheepdog Trials: 150 Years

The much-loved Kelpie is a distinctive Australian dog breed renowned for its intelligence, tenacity and superior livestock herding ability. The first Kelpie was a black-and-tan female named Kelpie, bought by Jack Gleeson from a litter born on Warrock Station near Casterton, Victoria, around 1872. Kelpies are medium-sized dogs that come in a variety of coat colours, including black, red, blue and fawn, and coat types can be short, smooth and rough. There was a belief that because of the similar pricked-up ears and body shape, the Kelpie breed was partly descended from the Dingo; however, recent DNA evidence has shown that this is not the case. The Australian Kelpie shown on the stamp is a red or brown Kelpie, a type familiar to film lovers through the movie Red Dog.

Stamp design: Gary Domoney, Visua
Cover design: Simone Sakinofsky, Australia Post Design Studio
Stamp photograph: annaia/iStock by Getty Images (main dog), Shadow’s Farm Photography
Cover and card photographs: everydoghasastory (cover right and card front), Enna8982
(cover left), KA Willis (card back). All Shutterstock.com
Australia Post
2022 Issue 9
This postal and numismatic cover is limited to 7,500
RRP $17.95″

Inner Card Obverse

The inner card features a closeup of a black and tan kelpie lying but poised ready to jump up. The text title is vertical to the dog’s right.

Inner Card Reverse

The reverse of the inner card features a monochrome green photo of a kelpie, again lying with the specifications of the coin:

NOMINAL SPECIFICATIONS

Denomination – $1

Diameter – 25.00 mm

Mass – 9.00 g

Metal – AlBr

Finish – Uncirculated

Designer – A. Baggio

Coin produced by the Royal Australian Mint

Sheepdog Trials

The PNC commemorates the 150th anniversary of sheepdog trials in Australia. Sheepdog trials have been held since 1870 or earlier.

Competitors come from all over the country to support this sport, rich in Australian rural heritage.

Sheepdog Trials are a unique, inclusive, heritage sport where three species—sheep, dog and person—endeavour to work together to complete a course of three obstacles in fifteen minutes.

Coin Obverse

The obverse of the coin features the final, Jody Clark, portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. The Australian coin portrait differs from the UK portrait, particularly in that it extends down to the shoulders, not only the neck. Text around the edge reads “ELIZABETH II • AUSTRALIA 2022”

Coin Reverse

The reverse features a kelpie rounding up sheep. The letter K is large and to the right, with the word “Kelpie” below, next to the denomination.

The Great Aussie Coin Hunt

The Royal Australian Mint has released three series of “Great Australian Coin Hunt” coins. Each series contained 26 coins – one for each letter of the alphabet, featuring an iconic Australian thing for that letter. In partnership with Australia Post, the coins could be picked up in change at the post office. The series 3 coins featured:

• A – Aussie, Aussie, Aussie (the chant often used at sporting events)
• B – Bushrangers (like Ned Kelly)
• C – Cockatoo (A native bird)
• D – Darrell Lea (A chocolate manufacturer)
• E – Echidna (A small spiky mammal, not dissimilar looking to a hedgehog)
• F – Farmers
• G – Great Ocean Road (A scenic coastal road)
• H – Hooroo (An informal way of saying “goodbye”)
• I – Irukandji Jellyfish (A venomous jellyfish)
• J – Jumbuck (A sheep)
• K – Kelpie (the coin this post is about!)
• L – Luna Park Melbourne (An amusement park)
• M – Magpie (A bird)
• N – Nullabor Plain (A desert)
• O – Opal (A gemstone)
• P – Pinnacles (A rock formation in Western Australia)
• Q – Quoll (A small marsupial)
• R – R.M. Williams (A boot manufacturer)
• S – Surfing
• T – Tasmanian Devil (a marsupial)
• U – Undara Lava Tubes
• V – Vanilla Slice (A dessert)
• W – Wattle (A flowering tree)
• X – CruX (The southern cross star formation)
• Y – Yarra Valley (A wine producing region)
• Z – Zebra Finch (A bird)

The coins were available in change, in a coin tube with all 26 (with a chance at getting a coloured version of the Crux coin), in individual coin cards, and for some, in a PNC. There was also a proof set, and a fine silver proof set.

The series was fun, although there hasn’t been a fourth series (yet). Since this series came out, the Royal Australian mint has released now two series of “Big Things” (Sets of 10 coins on “big” landmarks). The USA have done some notable series on 50 State Quarters, America the Beautiful, and more. Have you seen similar series from other countries? What is your favourite? Do let us know!