1 Dollar - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Vickers Vimy

1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Vickers Vimy) - obverse1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Vickers Vimy) - reverse

© Mike Bentley (CC BY-NC)

Features

Issuer Australia
Queen Elizabeth II (1952-2022)
Type Non-circulating coin
Year 2019
Value 1 Dollar
1 AUD = USD 0.65
Currency Dollar (1966-date)
Composition Aluminium bronze (92% Copper, 6% Aluminium, 2% Nickel)
Weight 9 g
Diameter 25 mm
Thickness 2.5 mm
Shape Round
Technique Milled
Orientation Medal alignment ↑↑
Number
N#
179083
References KM# 3661,
Tracy L. Schmidt (editor); 2019. Standard Catalog of World Coins / 2001-Date (14th edition). Krause Publications, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, United States.
And 5 more volumes.
KM# 3662
Tracy L. Schmidt (editor); 2019. Standard Catalog of World Coins / 2001-Date (14th edition). Krause Publications, Stevens Point, Wisconsin, United States.
And 5 more volumes.

Commemorative issue

Vickers Vimy

Series: The Great Air Race

Obverse

4th portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing right wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara

Script: Latin

Lettering:
ELIZABETH II
AUSTRALIA 2019
1 DOLLAR
IRB

Designer: Ian Rank-Broadley

Reverse

A depiction of an Vickers Vimy Aircraft superimposed over a compass.

Script: Latin

Lettering:
THE GREAT AIR RACE 1919 ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA
VICKERS VIMY
N
S
CAPT. ROSS M SMITH LT. KIETH M SMITH SGT. WALLY H SHIERS SGT. JIM M BENNETT

Designer: Stevan Stojanovic

Edge

7 shorter smooth segments between 7 reeded segments (11 grooves each)

1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Vickers Vimy) -  obverse

© Mike Bentley (CC BY-NC)

Mint

Royal Australian Mint, Canberra, Australia (1965-date)

Comments

This NCLT Aluminium-bronze $1 coin was released by the RAM as part of a set of eight coins. It was issued in a coincard inside a metal tin that resembles part of an aircraft engine. Only 10,000 sets will be issued at AU$130.00 per set.


The eight coin set is commemorating the Centenary of the "Great Air Race" that took place in 1919 when seven different aircrews and their aircraft attempted to be the first to fly between England and Australia in less than 30 Days. A prize of £10,000 was announced by Australian Prime Minister Billy Hughes for the first Australian crew to make it home in a British-built plane. This is a map of the route taken.


This particular coin depicts the aircraft flown by the four man crew of Captain Ross Smith with his brother Keith Smith as Navigator, plus mechanics Wally Sheirs & Jim Bennett. They were always going to be the team to beat. The weather report at Hounslow on 12 November 1919 said "totally unfit for flying". Ross Smith took off anyway - determined to catch Frenchman Etienne Poulet. The Vickers Vimy flew through snowstorms, downpours and howling gales, and was saved in Surabaya by villagers who made a runway from the woven bamboo walls of their homes. The Vimy crew landed in Darwin on 10 December 1919, claiming the £10,000 prize.
This is the front & back of the coincard it was issued in.


Also released as a PNC by Australia Post with a privy mark on the coin of an envelope in the top right hand side of the coin.

Australia Post also released this PNC with slightly different colouring and gold foil printing of the ANDA logo for the Sydney Money Expo. The postmark date was also changed to coincide with the Expo.

See also

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Date Mintage VG F VF XF AU UNC Frequency
2019  9 996 $ 9.60 96% BU in Coincard
2019 [Env] 7 000 23% BU PNC Envelope Privy Mark (KM# 3662)
2019 [Env] 500 12% BU PNC Envelope Privy Mark ANDA Sydney Money Expo (KM# 3662)

Values in the table above are expressed in USD. They are based on evaluations by Numista users and sales realized on Internet platforms. They serve as an indication only; they are not intended to be relied upon for buying, selling or exchanging. Numista does not buy or sell coins or banknotes.

Frequencies show the percentage of Numista users who own each year or variety among all the users who own this coin. Since some users own several versions, the sum may be greater than 100%.

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This index is based on the data of Numista members collections. It ranges from 0 to 100, 0 meaning a very common coin or banknote and 100 meaning a rare coin or banknote among Numista members.

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