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Australia Queen Mother

1992 Proof Twenty Five Dollar

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This coin paying tribute to the Queen Mother is part of the Royal Ladies Australian coin set. As one of the most popular, hard working and inspiring of the female relatives of Queen Elizabeth II, it is fitting that she is featured on this coin. Each of the royal ladies celebrated within this series played an important role in assisting the Queen through their royal duties and quickly became internationally loved and cherished women. The Queen Mother was born on the 4th August 1900 named Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon. She was born into British nobility and in 1923 became the wife of Prince Albert, Duke of York who was the second son of the King at that time, King George V and his wife, Queen Mary. The couple had been married for over 10 years before somewhat unexpectedly becoming King and Queen, when his brother Edward VIII decided to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson and therefore abdicate the throne. King George VII and the Queen Mother quickly took to their new roles promoting concepts of traditional family and public service. (Wikipedia, 2013) The couple had two daughters, Princess Elizabeth (the current monarch, Queen Elizabeth II) and Princess Margaret. The whole family quickly became public figures and just like the Queen Mother and of course Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret is also honoured in her own coin included within this Masterpieces in Silver The Royal Ladies collection.

This twenty-five Dollar Silver proof coin is part of a set known as 1992 Masterpieces in Silver: Royal Ladies. It was released by the Royal Australian Mint in celebration of the 40th Anniversary of the reign of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. It was one set from the popular Masterpieces in Silver Collection and remains to date to be one of fasting selling and well-loved Australian commemorative coin issues. The set was very fast to sell out as it caught the eye of both collectors and non-collectors a-like and remains today to be a sought after and valuable set. This particular coin pays tribute to the Queen Mother, and was joined in the set by an additional three $25 coins as well as a medallion. The coins honour Princess Anne, Princess Margaret and Lady Diana. The medallion, which is the centre piece to the collection bears the image of the Queen sitting on her throne. The reverse of this coin honouring the Queen Mother, unsurprisingly bears the profile portrait of the Queen Mother herself and was designed by Stuart Devlin. Surrounding the image in an upright oval shape is the legend ELIZABETH II 4OTH ANNIVERSARY 25 DOLLARS. Surrounding this and filling the remainder of the coin up to the edge is a border created from overlapping crowns. The obverse bears the Raphael Maklouf portrait of a young Queen Elizabeth II with the surrounding legend that reads ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 1992. The Royal Ladies set was issued in a beautiful burgundy presentation case, plush with velvet and came with a Certificate of Authenticity and an information booklet pertaining to the Royal Ladies to whom this set pays tribute. The main text on the outside of the box reads The Royal Ladies in very large and fancy writing. One pattern in gold of a slightly smaller size (18mm) is known bearing the portrait of Lady Diana.

The Royal Ladies

The Queen Mother's friendliness and personable nature that was consistently displayed during her regular public engagements won her the endearing title of the Smiling Duchess. Another description of the Queen Mother came from Adolf Hitler who called her "the most dangerous woman in Europe." This was likely as a result of her natural ability to raise morale amongst the British public and her image as an asset to Britain. It wasn't long after the war that the health of her husband King George VI deteriorated leading to his death. In 1952, the Queen aged 27 took up the position that she holds to this day as Queen Elizabeth II whilst the 51 year old widow became known as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in order to give the names of the two women some distinction. The death of the King, her beloved husband devastated the Queen Mother and she made the decision to retire from her public duties and to live in Scotland. It was a visit by then Prime Minister Winston Churchill that encouraged her to return to the public eye and her regular duties. The Queen Mother remained incredibly active until just months before her death and was a hugely popular member of the royal family throughout her life. She died at the age of 101 in 2002 after outliving her youngest daughter Princess Margaret by seven weeks. Her other daughter Queen Elizabeth II was at her bedside as she died in her sleep. On the day of her funeral, memorial services took place around the world including at St Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney. The Queen Mother was laid to rest beside her husband and youngest daughter in St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.