One Dollar 2023 "THE BIG LOBSTER", Coin from Australia 

Features the Big Lobster – an iconic Aussie Big Thing
This coin depicts "The Big Lobster", he’s known as ‘Larry the Lobster’ and this gigantic crustacean towers over visitors at 17m tall. Originally conceived by a local fisherman, the Big Lobster has been attracting tourists to its home in Kingston SE, South Australia for decades.

Australia's beloved 'Big Things
Aussie Big Things embodies the spirit of the classic Australian road trip. With over 200 of these colossal attractions scattered across the nation, both tourists and locals are inspired to mark these Big Things off their travel list as they journey throughout Australia. How many of these remarkable landmarks have you had the pleasure of visiting? 

The Royal Australian Mint’s ‘Aussie Big Things’ celebrates the weird and wonderful Big Things found across Australia. When driving around the country, visiting Big Things is quite a phenomenon, with these bigger-than-life structures surprising and delighting people of all ages.

One of these iconic landmarks is the Big Lobster, affectionately known as Larry among the locals. Located in Kingston, South Australia's southeastern region, Larry resides in an area known for its bountiful lobster-rich coastal waters. This colossal structure, resembling a spiny lobster, stands tall at an impressive 17 meters, boasting 10 legs and two enormous antennae that stretch skyward. Larry has been a magnet for visitors since its construction in 1979 and is constructed from a formidable four tonnes of steel and fiberglass. 

The obverse shows the sixth crowned mature head of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the George IV State Diadem and the Victorian Coronation Necklace, Memorial Obverse.

Following the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, the Royal Australian Mint transitioned to the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Obverse. Featuring British engraver Jody Clark’s portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the Memorial Obverse has one notable addition – the Queen’s years of reign – reading “Elizabeth II 1952-2022."
In small letters below the head, the artist's initials JC stands for Jody Clark.

  • Coin Type: One Dollar, Circulating, Commemorative
  • Issued: 2023
  • Reverse Inscription: THE BIG LOBSTER, KINGSTON
  • Obverse Inscription: ELIZABETH II 1952 - 2022, AUSTRALIA 2023, 1 DOLLAR, JC
  • Material: Aluminium-Bronze
  • Designed by Jody Clark and sculpted by Aleksandra Stokic


    • Aleksandra Stokic
    The multi-talented Aleksandra has worked as a senior coin sculptor and coin designer at the Royal Australian Mint since 2011, and is the artistic mind behind the Centenary of Canberra and Australian Mining designs.
    Aleks grew up in Kučevo, a small town in north-east Serbia, where she developed a passion for art at an early age.  At just 14 she attended the internationally renowned School for Design in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, where she studied packaging design. Even at such a young age, the budding artist had decided where her future lay.

    Importantly, it was during her time at university that Aleks was introduced to the tools that would eventually let a world-class coin designer. “When we were young, my brother had a small coin collection and I can remember looking at the coin surfaces and wondering how anyone could get such intricate designs on such a small space,” she said.

    In 2005, Aleks was accepted into the prestigious School of Metallic Arts in Rome, where she learnt ancient artistic techniques from the best metallurgists in the world. The daunting prospect of moving to another country, and any associated nervousness, was quickly overcome by a sense of excitement - and a sense of belonging.
    “I went to Rome without knowing Italian, so it was hard in the beginning - but everyone was so kind, and that made it easier to settle in”.
    “All my teachers were professionals all worked at the Italian Mint - so I learnt from the best.”

    Over the next three years Aleks won three International Coin Design Competition awards, including her International Year of Astrology 2009 design, which was developed into a coin by the Japanese Mint.
    Her time in Rome also saw her design a number of medals for international sports events and Vatican celebrations.

    After a three-year ‘apprenticeship’ at the School of Metallic Arts, Aleks successfully went on to work at the Italian Mint, the Istituto Polografica e Zecca dello Stato. It was from the Italian mint that Aleks came to Australia. Since 2011, Aleks has been pivotal in creating some of the Royal Australia Mint’s most celebrated coins.

    Aleks's insight into how coins are conceived:
    “Marketing briefs come to use from the product development department, and we create sketches and drawings, which then form the basis of 3D models.”
    “We use plaster as well as 3D imaging software to create a model of the coin.”
    "We have to take special care when building the heights of certain elements; to make sure everything is precise. Everything on the finished product has to be exactly as it is in the design.”
    This eye for detail and desire for perfection has been the foundation of many of the Royal Australian Mint’s coins in recent years.



    Effigy: Queen Elizabeth II - Sixth Portrait, by Jody Clark
    The effigy was designed by Jody Clark; an engraver for the Royal Mint located in Wales, UK. 







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