1 Dollar - Elizabeth II 4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Airco DH9

Features

Obverse

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

Lettering:
ELIZABETH II
AUSTRALIA 2019
IRB
1 DOLLAR

Engraver: Ian Rank-Broadley

Reverse

A depiction of an Airco DH9 Aircraft superimposed over a compass.

Lettering:
THE GREAT AIR RACE 1919 ENGLAND TO AUSTRALIA
AIRCO DH9
N
G G-GADA
S
LT. RAY PARER LT. JOHN C MCINTOSH

Engraver: S. Stojanovic

Edge

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

© Mike Bentley

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 Lt. Ray Parer and Lt. John McIntosh. They didn't leave Hounslow until 8 January 1920, nearly a month after Ross Smith landed victoriously in Darwin. But nothing was going to stop "Battling" Parer in his Airco DH9 - not a downdraught that nearly sucked the aircraft into Mt Vesuvios, not two mid-air engine fires, not countless crashes, broken undercarriages and propellers, nor a run-in with desert tribesmen. The DH9 made it home in seven months, becoming the first single engine aircraft flown from England to Australia. This is the front & back of the coincard it was issued in.

See also

• Plane

• 1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Alliance P.2 Endeavour )
• 1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Blackburn Kangaroo)
• 1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Caudron G4)
• 1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Globe)
• 1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Martinsyde A1)
• 1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Sopwith Wallaby)
• 1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Vickers Vimy)

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