With the Royal Australian Mint undergoing refurbishments, it just made "cents" to create a pop-up exhibition in the heart of Civic.
The national institution has teamed up with Canberra Museum and Gallery (CMAG) to host the exclusive new off-site exhibition, Change: Stories from your Pocket and gift shop.
The exhibition is a celebration of the role the mint has played in telling Australia's stories through coins and includes parts of the National Coin Collection that have never before been on public display. There's both a Holden and a Ford coin, for car fans, and an AC/DC one for those who love a bit of Aussie rock.
"There's also the opportunity for people to still walk away with a $1 coin that has a little 'c' mintmark on it that they'll put on it by using a little transportable press," Royal Australian Mint chief executive Leigh Gordon says.
"And that coin is part of our Out of this World: Australia in Space coin program that we've been running for the whole 12 months that we run our coin program. There's an opportunity for people that visit the mint to get that traditional keepsake of a coin from the visit."
While the world is moving more towards a cashless society, there is no denying the interest people still have in coins and coin collecting. When the mint releases a new design - or recently when the new effigy of King Charles was released - there are often lines of eager collectors keen to get their hands on the coins.
"There's a number of people that I talk to who say, 'Oh yes, my father had his collection' or 'I've been grabbing these'," Mr Gordon said.
"It's a fairly easy hobby to get into just by hanging on to a couple of the things that you might pick up if you still use cash."
But certain coins gain more attention than most. The 50-cent coin released for the 75th anniversary of the Australian Signals Directorate, for example, had several codes on it that people were encouraged to solve.
And then there are the coloured coins - the 2022 $2 Honey Bee coin and the 2022 Beauty Rich and Rare - Great Barrier Reef both had coloured elements at picked up international awards last year.
"There are a lot of ways people can connect to the coins' stories and, in particular, it might be a theme that is really important to an individual," Mr Gordon says.
"We've released some coins to recognise some significant battles in Vietnam and of course, that was a really moving event for a number of the veterans that are involved in that.
"But we try to have a balanced portfolio, look at things that recognise First Nations' contribution and stories.
"Some of the more traditional Australian poetry and culture and other coins that we present, and of course, our involvement with sports, which is a pretty Australian thing as well."
The Royal Australian Mint's refurbishments are to improve its "cultural aspects" to create a better experience for its visitors.
The mint's public areas, including the shop, gallery, museum, factory viewing and exhibition spaces, public amenities and education and tourism experiences, are being refurbished.
