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Australia Cook

1993 Proof Five Dollar reverse 1993 Proof Five Dollar obverse

1993 Proof Five Dollar

Mintage:19,546
Reverse Designer:Vladimir Gottwald and Wojciech Pietranik Obverse Designer:Raphael Maklouf Size:39mm Weight:35.79g Edge:Reeded Composition:92.5% Silver
7.5% Copper

Values

Sales History

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This $5 dollar silver proof coin bears the image of Captain James Cook and is one coin out of a 5 piece set. "The Explorers" is the title of one of the Masterpieces in Silver proof coin sets, which was released in two parts in 1993 and 1994. Each of the two parts contains five coins, which commemorate the explorations done throughout Australia by various explorers. The other 9 coins that make up the complete set each feature the image of one important explorer, with the exception of one which bears the faces of three men Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth.

This coin commemorating James Cook is taken from the first half of the "The Explorers" set released in 1993, from which the remaining four coins commemorate the explorations carried out by Lawson, Blaxland and Wentworth, mentioned above, Tasman, Flinders and of course the first explorers of the continent, the Aborigines. The five coins that make up the second half, released in 1994 commemorate explorers Sturt, Leichhardt, McDouall-Stuart, Forrest and Mawson. The five coins that make up the second half, released in 1994 commemorate explorers Sturt, Leichhardt, McDouall-Stuart, Forrest and Mawson. The reverse of this coin bears the portrait of Captain James Cook, the first European to land and claim the east coast of Australia, against the map of the country. The reverse was designed by Vladimir Gottwald and has the legend 5 DOLLARS slightly overlapping the map at the top right as well as his name J.COOK written underneath. The obverse features the traditional effigy of Queen Elizabeth II designed by Raphael Maklouf and the legend ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 1993. The packaging, in which this first half of the set was presented was a simple black box with the text "1993 MASTERPIECES IN SILVER" written in block silver letters at the top centre and a logo representing "The Explorers". A certificate of authenticity was included within the box which describes the coins and their designers.

James Cook grew up in England and was enrolled in the Royal Navy. There he learned to survey and navigate the water and quickly began to work his way up through the ranks. An expedition to observe a rare sighting of the planet Venus passing in front of the sun was combined with a slightly more secretive expedition to search for a southern continent, of which there had been rumours. His vessel, named Endeavour reached New Zealand before continuing to find and sale along the length of the East Coast of Australia in 1770. This was the first time a European had reached this point and Cook named the land New South Wales and claimed it as British territory. From this point British settlers began to arrive on the continent and further exploration entailed. Cook is credited for changing the perceptions of the Western World regarding world geography through his extensive and highly accurate mapping. (Australian Dictionary of Biography, 2013)

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