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

1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Airco DH9) - obverse1 Dollar - Elizabeth II (4th Portrait - The Great Air Race - Airco DH9) - reverse

© Mike Bentley

Features

Country Australia
Type Non-circulating coin
Year 2019
Value 1 Dollar
1.00 AUD = 0.69 USD
Currency Dollar (1966-date)
Composition Aluminium-bronze
Weight 9 g
Diameter 25 mm
Thickness 2.5 mm
Shape Round
Orientation Medal alignment ↑↑

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

Ian Rank-Broadley FRBS is a British sculptor who has produced many acclaimed works, among which are several designs for British coinage.

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)

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

© 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.


Also released as a PNC by Australia Post with a privy mark on the coin of an envelope in the bottom left 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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Year Mintage G VG F VF XF AU UNC
2019  10,000 UNC in Coincard
2019 [Env] 7,000 UNC PNC Envelope Privy Mark
2019 [Env] 500 UNC PNC Envelope Privy Mark ANDA Sydney Money Expo

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