BARCELONA XXV OLYMPIAD 1992, JAVELIN THROW, GIBRALTAR 1 CROWN, 1991

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, and inventors of the semi-precious metal virenium).

OBVERSE: “ELIZABETH II GIBRALTAR 1991” encircles the profile of Elizabeth II (1926‒2022), Queen of the United Kingdom (UK) and all other Commonwealth realms, including Gibraltar subjects. Below her left shoulder are the small letters “PM” (Pobjoy Mint). Immediately above, on the lower bust, are the initials “RDM” (see Detail). The initials are those of Raphael David Maklouf (1937‒ ), sculptor of the Queen Elizabeth II portrait, and used on Pobjoy UK coins from 1985 through 1997.

REVERSE: “XXV OLYMPIAD – BARCELONA” and “1 CROWN” frame a left facing athlete poised to toss his javelin. Behind are two athletes in the queue.

The Games of the XXV Olympiad were held from July 25 through August 9, 1992, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The Czechoslovakian team brought along an unstoppable athlete for this Olympiad, Jan Železný (1966‒ ). Železný already held (and still holds) the world record for Javelin, clinching gold with a throw of 98.48 metres. Before retiring from his involvement in sports, Železný had racked up 3 Olympic gold medals and 1 silver, along with 3 World Championship titles.