What it does
This instrument, Currency Determination No. 2 of 1998, is a formal specification made by the Assistant Treasurer, Roderick Charles Kemp, under subsection 13A(1) of the Currency Act 1965 (instrument signed 4 March 1998). It commences on 20 March 1998 (cls 1-2). The Determination performs a mechanical rule‑making function: it prescribes, in Schedule Part 1, the technical specifications that apply to a set of coins by linking denomination and declared standard composition (columns 1 and 2) to a set of manufacturing parameters (columns 3-5). Clause 3 states the scope: the Determination "specifies, for a coin having the denomination and standard composition specified in columns 1 and 2 of Part 1 of the Schedule, the standard weight, the allowable variation from that weight, the dimensions and the design set out in columns 3, 4 and 5 of that Part."
Mechanically, the instrument sets four categories of manufacturing and visual controls for each covered coin:
- minimum metal purity or standard composition (for example, "Not less than 99.9% silver" or "Not less than 99.95% platinum") as in Schedule Part 1, Column 2;
- a standard mass figure expressed in grams with an allowable variation (for example, $1 (1 oz) silver: 31.635 ± 0.500 g) in Column 3;
- dimensional targets in millimetres (diameter and thickness) in Column 4; and
- design codes that refer to obverse, reverse, edge, and shape features in Column 5, which are explained in Schedule Part 2.
Clause 4 limits the Determination’s effect by stating it "does not affect any other determination of the specifications of a coin." In practice that preserves the existence and application of other determinations made under the same statutory power.
The Schedule is the operative technical core. Part 1 lists denominations including $1, $2, $5, $10, $15, $25, $30, $50, $100, $200 and associated nominal ounce weights where applicable (for example $10 (10 oz), $30 (1002.502 g ≈ 32.2 oz) etc). Part 2 decodes the symbols used in the design column (shape S1; edge E1, E2, E4; obverse O1, O2; reverse R61-R69) and sets out exact inscription text for many reverses and obverses. The Determination therefore performs a binding specification task: it converts denomination and composition pairings into enforceable manufacturing targets and required inscriptions and motifs.