Australia is hosting the XXI Commonwealth Games and the Royal Australian Mint is issuing coins for it
Gold Coast 2018 is the name and location of the XXI Commonwealth Games, an international multi-sport event held by the Commonwealth of Nations every four years. Last held in Edinburgh, Scotland, the Gold Coast in eastern Australia is a considerably warmer location for what is one of the world’s most popular sporting events.
Held between the 4th and 15th of April, seventy nations will compete across twenty six approved sports, the core ten of them being athletics, badminton, boxing, hockey, lawn bowls, netball (for women), rugby sevens, squash, swimming and weightlifting. A competition for disabled athletes is also held across nine different sports. For the first time ever at a major multi-sport event, there will be an equal number of events for men and women.
The medals for the games are being produced by the Royal Australian Mint. Designed by Australian Indigenous artist Delvene Cockatoo-Collins, they were inspired by a mix of Indigenous culture and the coastline of the Gold Coast. Delvene stated, “the medal design represents soft sand lines which shift with every tide and wave, also symbolic of athletic achievement, The continual change of tide represents the evolution in athletes who are making their mark, Records are made and special moments of elation are celebrated”. Around 1,500 of the 63mm diameter medals will be produced in the three metals for the winners.
The mint is releasing the design on a three coin set cleverly produced to look like the three levels of winners medals. A unique design is also on offer as a one-ounce silver with selective gilding, along with some super-rare one-kilo variants in silver or gold. We’ve also added some images of the recent coin issued for the Winter Olympics that have recently finished that were held in PyeongChang in South Korea.
A pretty enough coin full of symbolism is typical of the RAM’s sporting output. Aboriginal style figures depicting a runner, diver and gymnast are very well done and the border of 70 figures, each reperesenting a competing nation, is a nice touch. The gilded one-ounce coin is a particularly nice coin and of all the Commonwealth Games coins issued by the mint, this would be our choice.
Cleanly struck kilo coins in gold and silver are also available with very small mintages (70 and 10 respectively), but very high prices, the gold in particular selling for a hefty $80,000 AUD. Unsurprisingly, it’s only struck to order.
MINTS DESCRIPTION: Humanity. Equality. Destiny. As a celebration of everything that the XXI Commonwealth Games has to boast, this stunning coin has been struck in a kilogram of silver, a kilogram of gold, or a selctively gilded one-ounce of silver by the Royal Australian Mint’s finest artisans.
The Gold Coast’s sun beams a range of sporting talents, and 70 bordering figures symbolise the nations whose athletes will be proudly on display to the world. Just like the Games themselves, athletic excellence and human spirit combine to form an awe-inspiring piece.
SPECIFICATION | |||
DENOMINATION | $5 Australia | $30 Australia | $3,000 Australia |
COMPOSITION | 0.999 silver | 0.999 silver | 0.999 gold |
WEIGHT | 31.1 grams | 1,000.00 grams | 1,000.00 grams |
DIAMETER | 40.00 mm | 99.95 mm | 74.77 mm |
FINISH | Proof | Proof | Proof |
MODIFICATIONS | Gilding | None | None |
MINTAGE | 3,500 | 70 | 10 |
BOX / COA | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes | Yes / Yes |
A decent looking set that could pass for actual winners medals, these are unusual for Royal Australian Mint issues in not having the effigy of the Queen completely cover the obverse face. The pattern is quite Australian in style, but there are no differences between the three coins as far as the design is concerned, other than the denomination.
The $1 coin is copper, obviously meant to evoke the bronze medal, with the $5 coin in silver and the $10 coin also silver, but gilded. The three coins sit in a nice looking wenge-style wooden box inside a coloured outer shipper. It’s a little pricey at $350.00 AUD, but a good memento of one of the world’s premiere sporting events.
MINTS DESCRIPTION: This set of three 2018 coins celebrates the 2018 XXI Commonwealth Games, which will be held on Australia’s vibrant Gold Coast.
Ideal for any sporting enthusiast, these coins are based on the 2018 Commonwealth Games prize medal designs , by Quandamooka Country artist Delvene Cockatoo-Collins. The designs represent the moving tidelines of the coast, symbolic of the achievements of the athletes who will come to compete in the Games.
SPECIFICATION | |||
DENOMINATION | $1 Australia | $5 Australia | $10 Australia |
COMPOSITION | copper | 0.999 silver | 0.999 silver |
WEIGHT | 27.5 grams | 31.1 grams | 31.1 grams |
DIAMETER | 40.00 mm | 40.00 mm | 40.00 mm |
FINISH | Proof | Proof | Proof |
MODIFICATIONS | None | None | Gilded |
MINTAGE | 2,018 sets | ||
BOX / COA | Yes / Yes |
SPECIFICATION | |
DENOMINATION | $5 Australia |
COMPOSITION | 0.999 silver |
WEIGHT | 31.1 grams |
DIAMETER | 40.00 mm |
FINISH | Proof |
MODIFICATIONS | None |
MINTAGE | 2,018 |
BOX / COA | Yes / Yes |
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