? The Hong Kong Two Dollar coin issued during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II featured the Queens portrait by Raphael Maklouf on the obverse. The legend around the perimeter reads QUEEN ELIZABETH THE SECOND. The reverse shows Chinese symbols of the denomination, date and country with a ring of dots. Outside of this is the legend HONG KONG TWO DOLLAR. Hong Kong was ceded to Britain in 1842 following the First Opium War upon the Treaty of Nanjing. Prior to the war, China was exporting ...
? King Edward VII ascended to the British throne in 1901 but it was not until 1902 that sovereigns were struck bearing his bust. Sovereigns were struck at all Australian branches of the Royal mint throughout his reign up until his death in 1910. Mintages throughout the period were generally high but a combination of the rough handling process at the mint and between banks, and the natural softness of gold, ensured that higher mint state examples have become virtually ...
? The United Nations declared 1986 as the International Year of Peace and also stated that this is the basic objective of their being formed. In recognition of this event, the Royal Australian mint issued a commemorative one dollar in the same year. The reverse was designed by Horst Hahne and shows the dove of peace being released from open hands surrounded by a wreath. The legend reads INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PEACE. The obverse features the Maklouf effigy of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right ...
? The Chinese Zodiac is an astrological system that rotates through a twelve year lunar cycle. Each of these years is associated with an animal arranged in order from the rat through to the pig. An ancient folk story states that the order was established by a race between the animals that was orchestrated by the Jade Emperor of China. It is believed that each of these animals is associated with a set of characteristics that may serve as an astrological guide to understand the events that occur in ...
? This beautifully designed and sculpted one dollar coin aptly depicts the type of work typically carried out by Surf Life Saving Australia. It is a commemorative coin that was issued by the Royal Australian Mint to celebrate a centenary of volunteer work by the Australian lifesavers. They provide an invaluable service, on which Australia has come to depend with their love of surfing and beach and water activities. This coin pays tribute to those men and women whose services are not taken ...