20 Cents - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - Masterpieces in Silver - 1951 Federation Florin)

The 1998 20-cent coin from the Masterpieces in Silver series was issued by the Royal Australian Mint as part of a tribute to the 1951 Federation Florin. This set was designed to honor the fiftieth anniversary of the Commonwealth of Australia, reinterpreting the iconic imagery of the original 1951 commemorative florin. The 1998 series focused on high-quality silver collector pieces, specifically catering to numismatists who appreciated the historical continuity between Australia's post-federation coinage and the transition to decimal currency.

The design draws heavily from the original 1951 florin, which featured a complex array of symbols representing the Australian federation, including the Commonwealth Star and a wheat stalk design by William Leslie Bowles. The obverse of the 1998 issue features Ian Rank-Broadley’s fourth portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, which was introduced to Australian coinage in that same year. The series was well-received by the collecting community for its balance of historical reverence and modern minting techniques, marking a significant entry in the Royal Australian Mint’s long-running Masterpieces in Silver program.