Seventy Years Since Australia Switched On the Telly

Australian television turns 70 tomorrow. On 16 September 1956, Bruce Gyngell looked into a camera and said "Good evening and welcome to television." The Melbourne Olympics were weeks away. That was the point of the rush.

The Royal Australian Mint has marked the anniversary with the First Television Broadcast 70th Anniversary 2026 50c Coloured Silver Proof Coin. We have it in stock at Mint Coin Shop for $165.00, the RRP. No delay in shipping. You order, we ship. We carefully pack everything we ship.

We like this coin, a lot! The reverse packs in more than 45 symbols and elements from 70 years of Australian TV, overlaid with test pattern colours. Anyone who grew up adjusting rabbit ears will spot that test pattern straight away. Younger collectors can hunt through the design for references.

Colour arrived in 1975 and changed how we watched, Countdown included. Play School, Neighbours and Four Corners came to define nights in front of the box. Plenty of that is in this design.

The details

• 99.9% silver, 18.24g, 31.51mm diameter
• Proof quality, encapsulated, with display case and certificate of authenticity
• Reverse design by A. Baggio, King Charles III effigy by D. Thorne
• Maximum mintage of just 7,000

A mintage of 7,000 is modest for a coin with this much appeal. TV nostalgia reaches well beyond the usual collector base. I think this one will find homes with people who have never bought a coin before, often as a gift for a parent or grandparent who remembers 1956.

One per customer. We apply this limit firmly because we want genuine collectors to get a fair go, not bots and bulk buyers. That is how we handle every high-demand release.

At $165.00 for a coloured silver proof with a 7,000 mintage, I expect this one to move quickly. If it appeals, do not wait.

Order online at mintcoinshop.com.au. We ship Australia-wide, with free shipping on orders over $225.