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Australia Coin Design Competition

2005 Silver Proof Fifty Cent

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The Coin Design competition was for the 2004 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. This commemorative issue was to be designed by the winner of the competition, Kelly Just. The design on the reverse depicts the various sporting events within the commonwealth games. In the centre is the denomination 50. The legend reads MELBOURNE 2006 XVIII COMMONWEALTH GAMES. The obverse features an Ian Rank-broadley portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II, right-facing and crowned. It also has the legend ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2005.

The Coin Design Competition was initiated in order to release a coin commemorating the 2004 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. The winner of the secondary school competition was Kelly Just from Victoria. At just 16 years old, his initials had been etched onto over 20 million circulated 50 cent coins. It was originally a promotional fun exercise but it was decided to put the design onto the coin after there was such interest in the scheme.

The XVIII Commonwealth Games took place in Melbourne, Australia between the 15th - 26th March 2006. The Games included 24 disciplines held over the eleven days. There were athletes from 71 competing nations and territories. The opening ceremony contained the journey of the Queens Baton, which had travelled over 180,000 kilometres, continued down the Yarra River in the hands of the 16 Australian Football League captains. The baton was then handed to football legend Ron Barassi, then Olympic great Herb Elliott before entering the packed stadium. The baton travelled around the stadium in the hands of athletic champions Catherine Freeman, Ron Clarke and Marjorie Jackson-Nelson. The baton was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by the Governor of Victoria, and former Olympian, John Landy.