Two special forces soldiers making their way uphill: this is how the 2016 20-cent coin from the «ANZAC to Afghanistan» series portrays the most secretive units of the Australian Army.

The series spans a century of Australian military history, from the First World War to Afghanistan, in 14 coins — ten 20-cent and four 25-cent pieces — each devoted to one defining military moment. It was produced by the Royal Australian Mint together with News Corp newspapers, Westpac and Legacy, and the coins were distributed through newspapers over two weeks.

The reverse reads simply «20 SPECIAL FORCES». The coin traces the path of Australia’s special operations forces from the Second World War to counter-terrorism roles and deployments in Afghanistan. At their core stands the Special Air Service Regiment, raised in July 1957 as the 1st SAS Company on the model of the British SAS. In Vietnam its small patrols moved so stealthily that the enemy called them «ma rung», the phantoms of the jungle.

The obverse bears Ian Rank-Broadley’s portrait of Elizabeth II. The coin comes in its souvenir packaging, the coincard in which the issue reached newspaper readers; UNC grade means it never circulated, shows no wear and keeps its mint lustre. In a military history collection it covers a subject that other issues barely touch.

If you are just starting a collection, the VPcoins catalogue makes it easy to find coins to build it around.