Oxford Australia Blog

Sharing our love of education, language, and books

Word of the Month —December: gold coin donation

gold coin donation noun: a one- or two-dollar coin given as an entry fee or donation when attending a charitable, community, or not-for-profit event.

In the mid-1980s, a short newspaper advertisement appeared on a page promoting various forthcoming events: ‘Performism. Special Experimental Music Event. Plus Film Performance… Gold Coin Donation.’ (Canberra Times, 15 September 1984) Clearly the organisers were not expecting actual gold coins to be donated for admission. Gold coins have not been a feature of the currency in Australia since the second half of the 19th century, when sovereigns were minted following the gold rushes. However, a gold-coloured coin was legal tender at this time—the brand new one-dollar coin that had just replaced the one-dollar banknote.

Before this, nearly all mentions of gold coins in newspapers referred to collectibles like the sovereign, or the limited issue ‘Koala’ Gold Coin which in fact did contain a high percentage of pure gold. The new Australian dollar coin was issued on 14 May 1984. Official notices in newspapers across the country asked people to take ‘careful note of it’ and gave a short description: ‘It can be recognised by its distinctive yellow gold colour, size, interrupted milling and design’. (Sydney Morning Herald, 14 May 1984) While gold in colour, the coin was made mostly from copper with small quantities of aluminium and nickel.

A smaller, gold-coloured two-dollar coin was introduced in 1988. By the 1990s, gold coin was used frequently to refer to both the one- and two-dollar coins, nearly always in the context of donations or modest entry fees to charitable and community events.

The evidence for gold coin donation reveals that it is used in two distinct ways. The payment can be optional and viewed as a charitable act to help cover costs:

‘An invitation is extended to all former residents of Tatiara to come to a get together at the RAOB Hall… A gold coin donation towards expenses would be appreciated.’ (Victor Harbor Times, 24 March 1995)

Or the payment can be a condition of entry, and viewed as a small fee:

‘The playground has been in recess for a few years. It will operate from 10.30am to noon each Tuesday. It is available for the cost of a gold coin donation.’ (Echuca Riverine Herald, 3 July 2000)

From a dollar to see an ‘experimental music event’ in 1984 to schoolchildren in 2019 opting to donate more than one gold coin, the gold coin donation is a common phenomenon in Australia, and the term is well-established in our lexicon.

In both cases the use of gold coin donation implies that the payment is modest and for a good cause. In recent years, school fundraising events are a common context in which the term gold coin donation may be found. As well as raising money for charities or worthy causes, these events are often associated with students wearing something other than school uniform for a day: ‘Tagai College students are encouraged to wear a loud shirt this Friday and give a gold coin donation for deaf kids.’ (Thursday Island Torres News,7 October 2013); ‘… Adopt A Farmer, where the whole school dressed like a farmer and brought a gold coin donation (but some people brought in 10!).’ (Sydney Daily Telegraph, 10 May 2019)

Gold coin donation will be considered for inclusion in the next edition of the Australian National Dictionary.

Gold coins image from Pexels

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *