This one hundred Dollar gold
proof
coin issued in 1995 was the first to be released from a series of nine entitled Floral Emblems of Australia. The set
was released between the years of 1995 and 2003 with a coin featuring the floral emblem of each state as well as the Commonwealth,
the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. This particular coin features the Waratah, which is the floral
emblem of New South Wales. Each emblem of the entire series is represented on three different coins. The first is a $150
half Troy ounce
proof
coin and the remaining two are both $100 one-third Troy ounce proof coins, one of which is an
uncirculated version.
(Royal Australian Mint, 2002)
With regards to the $100 coins there was a limited
mintage
of 2500 for the standard proof and 3000 for the uncirculated proof. Credit for the design of the
reverse of this coin goes to Horst Hahne.
The design is very simple and features the New South Wales Waratah, which takes up the majority of the space. The
legend
100 DOLLARS is curved beneath the flower following the shape of the coin. The
obverse features the Raphael Maklouf portrait of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and is surrounded by the
legend
that reads ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 1995. The $100 coins were issued in a plush burgundy presentation case and accompanying
it was a Certificate of Authenticity and booklet of information pertaining to the different floral emblems. The outer box
was also a burgundy colour and features the text FLORAL EMBLEMS OF AUSTRALIA written above a picture of the flower represented
within. Below was written 1995 $100 GOLD UNCIRCULATED or PROOF accordingly.
The Waratah or sometimes even the New South Wales Waratah is the more common name for the shrubs scientific name of Telopea
Speciosissima. It is endemic to the state of New South Wales and in 1962 it was officially named as the states emblem, although
it had been used informally as such for many years prior to that.
(Wikipedia, 2013)
It is a fairly large shrub at around 4 metres high and has dark green leaves and a woody base. In the springtime it produces
vibrant dark red flowerheads, each of which contains hundreds of florets. It is these stunning flowerheads that makes the
Waratah so striking. It is regularly featured in the works of various artists and in folklore stories and has over a very
long period of time become symbolic of New South Wales.
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