This coin released in 2002 is part of a two coin series called the $10 Numismatic Series and is joined by the 1853 Half
Sovereign. This
commemorative
Ten Dollar proof coin celebrates 150 years since the production of the first Adelaide Pound in 1852. The production was
not planned and had not been given royal assent when issue commenced but it was a necessity when the colony of South Australia
suffered from a severe lack of coins. This commemorative coin features an exact replica of the design featured on both the
obverse and the reverse
of the first pound coins that were stuck in Adelaide thanks to the use of state of the art technology. In this coin the
centre or the 'pound' is struck into gold plated silver and surrounded by a thick ring of pure silver. At 50mm in diameter
this coin is the largest as of yet to be struck by the Royal Australian Mint. There was a limited
mintage
of just 10,000 and a historically important and as a beautiful coin it is a very popular collectors item.
The reverse of the coin was designed by Wojciech Pietranik. As mentioned
above the centre features a replica of the first Adelaide Pound. This has a central image of the Royal crown and the year
1852. Surrounding this, on the outer edge of the gold is the
legend
GOVERNMENT ASSAY OFFICE ADELIADE. The pure silver outer ring of this commemorative coin has a ribboned border on the
outer edge and the
legend
reading 1852 ADELAIDE POUND 2002 TEN DOLLARS in large text. The obverse was designed by Ian Rank-Broadley and differs
from the traditional designs issued by the royal mint. As the obverse
of the Adelaide Pound is in the centre, the effigy of the Queen had to be reduced in size and placed at the top of the silver
outer ring. The
legend
as normal reads ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2002. The coin was issued in a plush red presentation case with a Certificate
of Authenticity and a booklet outlining the historical events that led to the first Adelaide Pound. The box in which it was
packaged says Adelaide Pound. 150 Years and features a photograph of the coin housed within.
In the mid 1800's when the first Adelaide Pound was struck there was a severe shortage of coins, particularly in the city.
This was due to a large amount of people leaving in order to work in areas experiencing the gold rush. The banks quickly
ran out of coins and there was no time to wait for supplies nor Royal accent to arrive from England.
(Cruzis Coins, 2013)
The local government made the decision to strike their own coins for temporary use. The first round of coins to be issued
used a die which cracked after the production of 50. These became known as the Type I Adelaide Pound ( ). It is the design
of these Type I coins with the effect of the cracked die that was used in the replica featured in this commemorative coin.
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