By Tim Binnall
A new campaign featuring coins that celebrate Australian icons from A to Z includes a piece dedicated to the proverbial Bigfoot of Down Under known as the Yowie. The unusual honor is reportedly part of a joint endeavor known as the 'Great Aussie Coin Hunt' spearheaded by the Australian post office and the Royal Australian Mint, who released the 26 one-dollar pieces into general circulation today. Alongside the 'K' coin showcasing a kangaroo and 'V' piece highlighting Vegemite, the 'Y' coin contains a cartoonish depiction of the hairy bipedal cryptid said to lurk in the Australian wilderness.
For those keeping score at home, the new Yowie coin is actually not the first time that a cryptid has been featured on currency as Canada released a Sasquatch coin back in 2016. And the British Royal Mint honored the Loch Ness Monster last year as part of their own "quintessentially British" A to Z series which also put a spotlight on Stonehenge with the coin for the letter 'S.' Should the concept ever make its way to America, there's no shortage of strange and unusual oddities which could be incorporated into the idea, though we're somewhat doubtful that Bigfoot or Mothman would wind up getting the same treatment in America.