W052
Silver, AU
39 mm (1-1/2”), 31.1 grams
HISTORY: Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory, located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, Spain, at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. It was ceded to Great Britain in 1713 by the Dutch, who had taken it in battle from Spain in 1703.
Gibraltar National Mint has been producing coinage since 1990 based on the United Kingdom’s pound (£). This coin, however, was minted at the Pobjoy Mint, Ltd., in the County of Surrey, England (Europe’s largest private mint).
OBVERSE: “ELIZABETH II GIBRALTAR 2003” encircles the profile of Elizabeth II (1926–2022), Queen of the United Kingdom and all other Commonwealth realms, including Gibraltar subjects. Below her left shoulder are the small letters “IRB”.
REVERSE: “XXVIII OLYMPIC GAMES” tops this coin above an athletic nude javelin thrower. Below the javelin spear to the left is the word “ATHENS 2004” and near his feet “1 CROWN”. Just to the right are the initials “PM” (Pobjoy Mint). A laurel wreath frames the rim.
The Games of the XXVIII Olympiad were held from August 13—29, 2004 in Athens, Greece. The gold medal in the javelin throw was won by Andreas Thorkildsen (1982--) of Norway. Thorkildsen was the first male javelin thrower to simultaneously hold the European, World and Olympic championships.
