Royal Australian Mint Releases Commemorative Coins Inspired by Iconic Cookbook

The Royal Australian Mint recently unveiled a special collection of 12 commemorative coins that pay homage to the iconic designs from The Australian Women’s Weekly Children’s Birthday Cake Book. This beloved cookbook, first published in 1980, has been a staple in Australian households for 45 years. Known for its whimsical and sometimes challenging cake designs, the book has inspired generations of homemade birthday celebrations.

Featuring classic designs like the Dolly Varden, Rubber Ducky, Humpty Dumpty, and the Pool Cake, these collectible coins are minted as official Australian legal tender. The uncirculated $1 coins are available for $15 each, with 81,500 coins minted for each design. Additionally, there is a $2 colored hickory dickory watch coin included in the premium 12-coin recipe box collection, priced at $175.

Designed by Lydia Ashe from the Royal Australian Mint, these coins capture the quirky details of the original cake designs, such as popcorn hairstyles, chocolate finger echidna quills, round biscuit wheels, and sprinkles galore. The collection is available in various formats, including a coin in-card, 10-coin tube and folder, proof coin in the cake book, 12-coin recipe card collection, and till coin.

The partnership between the Royal Australian Mint, newsXpress, and The Australian Women’s Weekly aims to celebrate the cultural significance of the Children’s Birthday Cake Book. At a recent coin launch event, Fran Abdallaoui, the food director for The Weekly, shared a heartwarming reunion with some of the original creators of the book. The event highlighted the book’s enduring legacy as a shared generational experience.

To ensure authenticity, the Royal Australian Mint advises customers to purchase the new coin collection only from trusted and official retailers. Pamela Clark, one of the original authors of the Children’s Birthday Cake Book, believes its enduring appeal lies in the cakes’ delightful imperfections and the love with which they are made. The book’s cakes, she says, are made with love, and children appreciate the effort put into creating them.

The coin collection serves as a tribute to the playful and heartfelt spirit of The Australian Women’s Weekly, which has been a part of Australian families’ lives for over 90 years. The collectible coins are now available exclusively at participating newsXpress stores and online, with limited quantities also released through the Royal Australian Mint website. The book continues to resonate with families, and the coin collection is a heartfelt nod to 45 years of success for this iconic cookbook.