A Three-Coin Set Worth Keeping: 1941 Service Amid Strife
Eighty-five years is a long time. Long enough that most Australians alive today have no direct memory of 1941 — yet that year sits near the centre of Australian military history. Three campaigns in particular shaped what Australian forces did, and who they became, during the Second World War.
The Royal Australian Mint has put all three on coin. The 1941: Service Amid Strife coloured uncirculated set brings together North Africa and the Middle East, Greece and Crete, and Women's Services — each on a 20-cent copper-nickel coin, each with a coloured reverse designed by Aaron Baggio.
Three campaigns, one set
The North Africa and Middle East coin covers fighting across Libya, Syria, and Lebanon — campaigns that most Australians know only in fragments. Tobruk gets the headlines, but Australian forces were engaged across a broader theatre, often in brutal conditions. The Greece and Crete coin covers the failed Allied defence of 1941, a campaign that ended in evacuation and heavy losses. Both are uncomfortable history, the kind that gets less airtime than the victories.
The Women's Services coin is the one I find most interesting. Women who served in 1941 — in the Australian Women's Army Service, the Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force, and other roles — are often an afterthought in commemorative releases. Including their coin as a full equal in this set is worth noting.
The coins themselves
Each coin is 28.52mm in diameter, weighs 11.30g, and is struck to the Royal Australian Mint's uncirculated finish. The coloured reverses are what make them worth displaying rather than pocketing. Mintage is capped at 40,000 per coin — not ultra-limited, but not unlimited either.
They come in individual themed cards inside a presentation wallet. The whole thing retails for $50.
Who this suits
Collectors with an interest in Australian military history are the obvious audience. So are people looking for a considered gift — the presentation wallet makes it easy to give without looking like an afterthought. A set covering two combat campaigns and women's wartime service has more depth than a single commemorative coin.
You'll find it at Mint Coin Shop. At $50 for three coins with this much history behind them, it's a reasonable buy.
