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Category: World Coins

BARCELONA XXV OLYMPIAD 1992, LONG JUMP, GIBRALTAR 1 CROWN, 1991

W055

Virenium, AU

38 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, 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 long jumper in the foreground, as a judge watches in the background.

The Games of the XXV Olympiad were held from July 25 through August 9, 1992, in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. The American team offered a large, competitive field of athletes for this Olympiad. In the Track & Field events, none loomed larger than Carl Lewis (1961‒ ). Already considered one of the great track stars of all time (Lewis competed between 1979‒1996), he went on to win gold in the long jump in this Olympiad with a phenomenal leap of 9.67 metres (31’-8 ¾”). Lewis still holds the world record for indoor long jump. Before retiring from active sports, Lewis won 9 Olympic gold medals, one silver, and 10 World Championship medals, 8 of which were gold.

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Track & Field Pictogram for XXV
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Detail of initials RDM and PM