Item NU 42662 Coin - 5 Dollars, Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, Queen's Baton Relay, Uncirculated, Australia, 2005

Summary

Australia
Five Dollar 2005 (AD)
Mint: Royal Australian
Melbourne 2006 (M2006) XVIII Commonwealth Games Queen's Baton Relay, Uncirculated, packaged

One of a series of coins struck by the Royal Australia Mint to commemorate the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games.

The reverse of this coin, and its associated packaging, is concerned with the Queen's Baton Relay. This relay took a baton, designed in Melbourne, through the 71 Nations attending the Melbourne 2006 Games. The design on the reverse face of the coin features stylised athletes, in the style adopted by the Melbourne 2006 Games, and repeated images of the baton itself.

The coin was designed by Peter Soobik and is made of Aluminium/Zinc Bronze.

Physical Description

Packaging: Four part, folded plasticised paper, with a tab and slot to make an envelope. Aqua, Green and orange colours, following the official colour scheme/'branding' of the Commonwealth Games. Features Melbourne 2006 logo, images of the Queen's Relay Baton and text describing the Relay. The coin is held in a plastic enclosure, inserted into the section of card which is second to innermost, when the package is folded.

Obverse Description

Head of Queen Elizabeth II. 'ELIZABETH II runs from 7 o'clock to 11 o'clock. 'AUSTRALIA 2006' runs from 1 o'clock to 5 o'clock.

Reverse Description

Main detail is a dynamic ribbon across the lower half of the coin. On the left hand side of the ribbon the words 'MELBOURNE/ 2006' are written. Below the ribbon is "5 DOLLARS" and written around the lower circumference of the coin is 'XVIII Commonwealth Games'. Above the ribbon a bridge, apparently modelled on the Princes Bridge. Higher up the coin face, on the left hand side, a series of eighteen batons (possibly one for each Commonwealth Games) of increasing size are placed in alignment with the rim from 9 o'clock to 1 o'clock. The Melbourne 2006 logo is under the series of batons. On the right hand side of the upper portion of the face, immediately above the bridge is the text 'Queen's Baton Relay',

Edge Description

Raised rim. Edge: Milled

Significance

These coins are a part of the commemoration of the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. A series of over 10 coins will be issued by the Royal Australian Mint, Canberra, of which these are a part.
From 15 to 26 March, 2006, the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games will bring together over 4000 athletes from 71 Commonwealth Nations, for competition in 11 sports. A Fifty cent piece bearing the 'Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Athletic Spirit Subgraphic' for each sport will issued by the Mint, in addition to a special Aluminium/Zinc Bronze $5 coin commemorating the Queen's Baton Relay, and a Fifty cent coin bearing a design created by a sixteen year-old student, Kelly Just.
The packaging for each coin features the branding for the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. The ubiquity of this branding on products and events associated with the Games is significant in and of itself, as it is an indication of the holistic approach taken to managing the representation of the games by the organising body, Melbourne 2006.
The associated web-pages from the Royal Australian Mint website (www.ramint.gov.au) add a small amount of information about the individual sports, such as the fact that both men and women are competing in the weightlifting events. Copies of these materials will be kept as supplementary information about the objects.
The designs for the sports Fifty cent coins were created by Wojciech Pietranik, and the Five dollar coin is the work of designer Peter Soobik. Pietranik also designed the medals for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games.