Australians hoping for a regal tribute to Queen Elizabeth II are split over a new coin design that some say barely looks like her. The Royal Australian Mint has issued two collector coins—a $5 piece and a 50-cent silver coin—to mark what would have been the late queen's 100th birthday in April. But once images went online, critics piled on, calling the portrait unflattering and unfamiliar, per the BBC. "That's got to be the most unpleasant portrait on a coin," one commenter wrote, while another quipped that the queen "looks like she just ran into a wall."
"Doesn't even look remotely like her," a third notes, per 9News. Some even compared the image to Robin Williams' character in Mrs. Doubtfire. The mint stood by its artist and the design, acknowledging in a statement that the final etching can distort details, per the BBC: "Our coin images don't always capture the full beauty of a design once it's etched in metal." Other buyers were more enthusiastic, praising the piece as a fitting tribute.
One US-based commenter called it "a beautiful coin." Controversy hasn't hurt demand. Per Australian media, the silver proof versions sold out, with only limited stock left through the mint's shop and call center. The run includes 30,000 of the 50-cent coins and 5,000 of the $5 version, all for collectors only.
Beyond the debated portrait, the design is loaded with symbolism "reflecting the many facets of Queen Elizabeth II's life and legacy," per the mint: a horse and corgi, nods to the arts, roses and lily of the valley (her favorites), and the golden wattle, Australia's national flower (more detail here). The coins also carry her royal cypher, a stylized St. Edward's Crown, which stands in as a World War II service emblem. On the reverse of the coins, meanwhile, is a profile of King Charles III.
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