Settings Subscribe  

NumisTip

Australia Commonwealth Games

2002 Proof Fifty Dollar

Values

Sales History

Current listings

?

This Fifty Dollar Coin commemorates the XVII Commonwealth Games held in Manchester in 2002. This was to coincide with the Queens Golden Jubilee. It was struck in a combination of Gold Silver and Copper. The reverse of the coin was designed by Wojciech Pietranik. The outer ring contains an artists impression of 20 athletes running around the edge. Inside this is the legend "THE XVII COMMONWEALTH GAMES MANCHESTER 2002". In the centre of the coin, the artist has shown five synchronised swimmers in formation. The obverse shows an Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Queen Elizabeth II in the centre and surrounded by the legend "ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2002 FIFTY DOLLARS". Around the outer edge is a floral design.

The XVII Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England between the 25th July and the 4th August 2002. This was the largest sporting event ever held in the UK at that time. The Queens Golden Jubilee was a significant factor as she was the Head of the Commonwealth, so it was fitting that a British venue was chosen for the games. The main venue for the games was the now home of Manchester City Football Club. The City of Manchester Stadium has since been re-named the Etihad Stadium in recognition of its sponsors. The stadium hosted the opening and closing ceremonies as well as all the athletics events and the rugby sevens. The games consisted of fourteen individual and three team events. Amassing a total of 207 medals of which 82 were gold, Australia dominated and ultimately won the games. England came in second with 166 medals. There were a total of 72 participating nations from the commonwealth taking part in the games. Public interest in the games was huge. The overwhelming demand for tickets was just an indication of the support that had accumulated over an excellent media campaign. The official website received over 200 million hits (The Commonwealth Games Federation, 2013) .