Royal Australian Mint's prized first coin of 2023 celebrates 'creatures of the deep'

Collectors from across Australia travelled to the nation's capital for the chance to take home the first pressed coin of the new year.

Mina Hsu was the first person to strike the first coin of 2023, not only in Australia, but the world, according to the Royal Australian Mint.

KEY POINTS

• A Taiwanese exchange student studying in Australia has pressed the first coin to be made in 2023.
• The coin features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the reverse side.
• New coins featuring King Charles III are due to enter circulation in late 2023.

A Taiwanese exchange student studying in Australia helped to press the very first coin of 2023 to be made at the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra.

Mina Hsu won the ballot from a pool of the first 100 people who arrived at the Royal Australian Mint on the morning of 1 January.

It's the first time in two years that the mint has been able to host the popular annual event due to pandemic restrictions.

Six coins from the new collection featuring Australian deep sea marine animals. Source: SBS News

Ms Hsu, who studies at the Australian National University in Canberra, said it was almost chance that she showed up at the Mint, after only finding out about the event on New Years Eve.

"I just came along for fun," she said, adding that she considers it a precious keepsake.

"I will store it at home and keep it locked up and safe."

The first coin of the year is part of a collection featuring Australia's rarely seen creatures from the deep, including the bigfin squid, brittle star, dumbo octopus, gold coral, cactus urchin and spiny king crab.

The Royal Australian Mint and national science agency CSIRO joined forces to showcase the marine life that call the southern and eastern coastline home.

CSIRO acting chief executive Elanor Huntington said the discoveries in the deep sea were made by the agency's flagship research vessel, Investigator.

"So much of our deep ocean remains a mystery, we know more about the surface of Mars than we do about our deepest oceans," Professor Huntington said.

"The 2023 new coin collection highlights these collaborative voyages and the significant contribution they have made to better understand life in our oceans."

The reverse side of the coin has a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

It will be the last time a new design of the late monarch will be released and will pay tribute to her 70-year reign with the words "Elizabeth II 1952-2022".

From late 2023, Australian coins will feature the portrait of King Charles III.