Perth Mint Coin Commemorates 150th Anniversary of Overland Telegraph

The Perth Mint and Australia Post are pleased to present this stamp and coin cover which features the 150th anniversary of the Overland Telegraph’s completion.

On August 22, 1872, the Overland Telegraph line between Adelaide and Darwin was finally connected. It was the result of years of planning and 23 months of arduous construction through the arid center of the continent and the wet, mosquito-infested terrain of the Top End. The telegraph involved 36,000 poles across 2,839 kilometers, from Port Augusta in the south to Darwin in the north, through territory virtually unexplored by Europeans.

Charles Todd, South Australia’s Superintendent of Telegraphs and the Postmaster-General, was the visionary responsible for bringing the project to realization. This huge logistical achievement has been called the greatest engineering feat of 19th-century Australia. This dramatically transformed the speed and breadth of communications in the country.

Issued as Australian legal tender, the uncirculated aluminum bronze coin is housed in a beautifully designed card with a circular window revealing the coin’s reverse and obverse designs.

Design

Each coin portrays a stylized representation of telegraph poles and their shadows, with a stylized cloudy sky. Also included in the design is the inscription ‘150TH ANNIVERSARY’, ‘THE OVERLAND TELEGRAPH’S COMPLETION’, and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark.

The Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the monetary denomination, and the 2022 year-date are shown on the coin’s obverse.

Official Australia Post Stamp

Affixed to the envelope is an official Australia Post $1.10 stamp. The stamp is postmarked for the first day of issue and the envelope includes Australia Post’s Seal of Authenticity.

Designer

Designer and engraver Jody Clark joined the Royal Mint UK in 2012. His portrait of Queen Elizabeth II became the fifth official portrait in 2015 (View Designer’s Profile).

Coin Specifications