By Royal Australian Mint ……
Of Australia’s many natural attractions – Uluru, the Great Barrier Reef, Kakadu National Park – the Twelve Apostles near Victoria stand out for their majestic and rugged grandeur.
These towering limestone stacks of the Twelve Apostles, formed by millennia of waves crashing onto the shoreline, are featured on the Royal Australian Mint’s new 2023 $5 Colored Fine Silver Proof Domed Coin and 2023 $100 Colored Gold Proof Domed Coin. At no time since European settlement have there been more than eight Apostles in the feature, now just seven following the collapse of one stack in 2005.
How exactly they came to be the Twelve Apostles is still somewhat a mystery. English explorer George Bass named them the Sow and Piglets. Others called them The Pinnacles. The enduring name, the Twelve Apostles, emerged in the 1880s.
The Twelve Apostles steadily became a major tourist draw, especially after construction of the Great Ocean Road by returned servicemen 1919-1932. It’s now Victoria’s most visited attraction, with more than two million Australian and international visitors every year.
The Twelve Apostles is the Mint’s latest pair of collectible and investment coins, and third in the Beauty, Rich and Rare Series. Significantly, these coins are domed, an appealing feature which makes them stand out from other collectible coins.
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About the Royal Australian Mint
The Royal Australian Mint is an award-winning, world-class Mint and a global leader in the mint industry. The Mint produces circulating coins for Australia and other countries; collectible and investment coins for domestic and international customers; and custom-made medals, medallions, and tokens for individual or corporate clients.
The Mint is also a national cultural attraction that educates millions of Australians and international visitors on the history of Australia’s decimal currency, and the significance and value of coins.
