In the year 2000 the Olympic and Paralympic Games were hosted in Sydney, Australia which is quite near to my home town. It was a time of great optimism, after getting through the “Y2K Millennium Bug” there was a great vibe in this country. It was at the height of the Dot Com Boom and it was before 911 plunged us all into the War on Terror. It was a great time to be alive.
This Coin Set to celebrate the Paralympic games was released that year by the Perth Mint and the Royal Australian Mint. They are true coins in that they are actually legal tender (as you’ll see below). In keeping with the theme of the Olympics they minted a Gold, Silver and Bronze coin.
The Gold coin is 99.99% pure and weighs 10 grams. It has some coloured print on it “Paralympic Games Sydney 2000” and has a fiat value of $100 Australian Dollars.
The Silver coin is a 99.9% pure Proof and weighs 31.635 grams. It depicts a basketballer in a wheelchair with the same coloured print and it has a fiat value of $5 Australian Dollars.
The Bronze coin has no real precious metal value. It depicts a sprinter in a wheelchar with the same coloured print and it also has a fiat value of $5 Australian Dollars, which is interesting because unlike the other two the fiat value is greater than the metal value.
Having a look at the reverse side you can see all 3 coins feature the head of Elizabeth II, but only the gold coin shows the fiat currency value
I only bought this set recently, not just for the metal value but the sentimental value as a reminder of such a great time. I am also a firm supporter of the Paralympics as I am always in awe of those athletes who perform the seemingly impossible and overcome such adversity. So many of our athletes in todays world seem to live in a bubble of their own but the Paralympians really do understand how hard life can be. They are an inspiration to us all.
Images and Credits
https://en.wikipedia.org