This limited edition Giclée print honours one of the most remarkable survivors in Australia’s coinage story - the only known Holey Dollar struck from an 1808 Ferdinand VII Spanish Silver Dollar.
Originally commissioned by Coinworks director Belinda Downie, the oil painting was displayed beside the coin itself at the 2016 ANDA Perth Coin Expo. Now, through this museum-quality print, the story continues in homes and collections across the country.
As both an artist and coin enthusiast, I approach each painting with a deep respect for what these coins represent - not just in metal, but in memory.
This particular work was inspired by my time at art school, after studying and painting Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring. That same care and reverence went into recreating the intricate details of this Holey Dollar - from its origins at the Mexican Mint to its transformation by William Henshall in 1813 under Governor Macquarie’s direction.
In 1812, facing a colony without formal currency, Governor Lachlan Macquarie ordered 40,000 Spanish Silver Dollars. Henshall, a skilled former forger turned mint master, punched each coin, over-stamped them, and gave rise to Australia’s first official coinage: the Holey Dollar and Dump.
Only around 300 Holey Dollars survive today. Of those, just 13 depict Ferdinand VII. And only one - this one - bears the date 1808.
This is more than a rare coin. This coin is a story of rebellion, reinvention, and endurance. And now, reimagined in oil - the legacy can continue to be held in a lasting form.
