The Sydney 2000 Olympics Five Dollar 'Opera House' Silver Coin is part of a collection containing 16 pieces. It was struck
in sterling silver and were designed to represent both Australia's cultural history and environment. The set comprises of
Festival of the Dreaming, Kangaroo, Early settlement, Great White Shark, Immigrants, Frilled Neck Lizard, Commerce, Emu,
Sports and the Arts, Koala, Sydney Harbour, Platypus, Opera House, Echidna, Air and Kookaburra. They are all in a Five Dollar
denomination. The set was released in 2000 following the successful Olympic Games from Sydney, Australia.
The reverse of the coin, designed by Stuart Devlin has an intricate
design with a host of famous landmark buildings from around the world adjacent to the inside edge of the coin. In the centre
of the coin is a portrait of the iconic Sydney Opera House with a luxury yacht in the foreground. Included at the base of
the design is the official Sydney 2000 Olympics logo with the five coloured rings signifying the Olympics. The
obverse features the traditional Raphael Maklouf 4th portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, crowned, facing right, with
necklace and earrings and is surrounded by the
legend
ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2000 5 DOLLARS. This coin along with the remaining fifteen to complete the set was originally
packaged in a wooden display case and with a numbered certificate. On the outside of the lid is stamped with the text THE
SYDNEY 2000 OLYMPIC SILVER COIN COLLECTION and the inner side with ROYAL AUSTRALIAN MINT and the PERTH MINT.
The Sydney Opera House was designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon after he submitted the best design for a competition
organised by the Government of New South Wales. However, the design was so intricate that it required engineering far in
advance of the time. This led to difficulties in construction and Utzon eventually resigned from the project. It was eventually
completed in 1973 and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. It has become the most photographed image of Australia and joined
the World Heritage list in 2007. Its premier performance was War and Peace which was performed by the Australian Opera. The
cost of the building project was $AU 102,000,000.
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