On 1 September 2022, the Royal Australian Mint joined the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) in celebrating our 75th anniversary with the release of a special fifty cent commemorative coin. The release is limited to 50,000.
Designed in collaboration with staff from ASD and the Royal Australian Mint, the commemorative coin pays tribute to the evolution of signals intelligence with multiple layers of cryptographic code included in the design. A hidden message will be revealed as each layer of code is cracked; all that is needed is a pen, paper, Wikipedia and brainpower.
The fifty cent coin marks 75 years of the Australian Signals Directorate, reflecting on our mission defending Australia from global threats and advancing Australia’s national interests. It commemorates our historical roots in World War II, harnessing and mastering technology to reveal foreign secrets, and the importance of codebreaking.