Item NU 44314 Coin - 5 Dollars, Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Nations, Uncirculated, Australia, 2006

Summary

Australia
Five Dollar 2005 (AD)
Mint: Royal Australian
Melbourne 2006 (M2006) Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Nations, Uncirculated, packaged

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

The design on the reverse face of the coin, which features stylised athletes, in the style adopted by the Melbourne 2006 Games, and repeated images of the figures that make up the logo of these Games. The coin, struck at the Royal Australian Mint, Canberra, was designed by Wojciech Pietranik 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, and text describing the 'spirit' of these Games. 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 8 o'clock to 11 o'clock. 'AUSTRALIA 2006' runs from 1 o'clock to 4 o'clock. Anti clockwise from 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock reads "5 DOLLARS".

Reverse Description

Main details are three concentric rings surrounding the words "Melbourne/2006". A crown surmounts the words. The two outer rings are made up of the "athletic spirit" graphics that are the graphic component of the Games logo. Inside the centre ring the following text is written: Clockwise from 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock 'XVIII COMMONWEALTH GAMES'; Anti clockwise from 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock "Commonwealth Nations.

Edge Description

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 16 sports. A Fifty cent piece bearing the 'Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games Athletic Spirit Subgraphic' for each sport will issued by the Mint. In addition a number of other coins are being issued, including the 5 dollar 'Commonwealth Nations' coin.
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. Copies of these materials will be kept as supplementary information about the objects.
The designs for the sports Fifty cent and 5 dollar coins were created by Wojciech Pietranik. Pietranik also designed the medals for the Sydney 2000 Olympic and Paralympic Games.