SYDNEY SUMMER OLYMPICS 2000, GIBRALTAR CROWN 1999

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 1999” (1926– ) encircles the profile of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and all other Commonwealth realms, including Gibraltar subjects. Below her left shoulder are the small letters “PM” (Pobjoy Mint).

REVERSE: “SUMMER OLYMPICS, SYDNEY” and “1 CROWN” frame an aboriginal youth holding the Olympic flame, with a dingo (a dog native to Australia) at his side. In the sky behind are three Greco-style athletes — a javelin thrower, a runner, and a jumper. The Games of the XXVII Olympiad were held from September 15 through October 1, 2000 in Sydney, Australia. The date, lower left, is creatively written as “2|0°0’0.”