Cent (currency)

In many national currencies, the cent, commonly represented by the cent sign (a minuscule letter "c" crossed by a diagonal stroke or a vertical line: ¢; or a simple "c") is a monetary unit that equals ¹⁄₁₀₀ of the basic monetary unit. Etymologically, the word cent derives from the Latin word "centum" meaning hundred. Cent also refers to a coin worth one cent.

In the United States and Canada, the 1¢ coin is generally known by the nickname penny, alluding to the British coin and unit of that name. In Ireland the 1c coin is also sometimes known as a penny in reference to the Irish penny, worth ¹⁄₁₀₀ of the Irish pound that was replaced by the euro in 2002.

Symbol

A cent is commonly represented by the cent sign, a minuscule letter "c" crossed by a diagonal stroke or a vertical line: ¢; or a simple "c", depending on the currency (see below). Cent amounts from 1 cent to 99 cents can be represented as one or two digits followed by the appropriate abbreviation (2¢, 5¢, 75¢, 99¢), or as a subdivision of the base unit ($0.99).

Australian one-cent coin

The cent or penny, formally the one-cent coin, was the lowest-denomination coin of the Australian dollar, introduced on 14 February 1966 in the decimalisation of Australian currency until it was withdrawn from circulation in 1992 (along with the two-cent coin)

Description

From 1966 until 1984 the obverse featured the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Arnold Machin. It was changed in 1985 to a version by Raphael Maklouf, which remained until its demonetisation in 1992.

The reverse side of the coin featured the image of a feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus), a gliding possum unique to Australian states bordering the Pacific Ocean. The image was designed by Stuart Devlin, who designed the reverses of all of the decimal coins introduced in 1966.

Production

The first minting of the coin was in the 1960s. In the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra 146.5 million were minted, alongside 239 million from the Melbourne Mint and 26.6 million at the Perth Mint. This was the only year that the coin was issued at more than one mint, apart from in 1981 when 40.3 million were struck at the British Royal Mint in Llantrisant, Wales as well as 183.6 million in Canberra. The only year of its run not to have any minting was 1986, the last minting was in 1990.

One cent coin (Netherlands)

The One cent coin was a coin struck in the Kingdom of the Netherlands between 1817 and 1980. The coin was worth 1 a cent or 1/100 of a Dutch guilder.

Dimensions and weight

Versions

Gallery

Notes

References

External links