Royal Australian Mint releases coin celebrating 50 year anniversary of moon landing

The Royal Australian Mint will release a new coin series with minutely crafted detail to celebrate the most iconic moment of the last century.

Details of a new collectable coin series was announced today by the Royal Australian Mint to celebrate 50 years since Neil Armstrong took “one giant leap for mankind”.

The minutely crafted coin set depicts the iconic scene of the pioneer astronaut being the first human to walk on the moon.

It also celebrates Australia’s role in capturing the famous footage by featuring an image of the dish at the Parkes Observatory, which was one of several antennae used to receive live televised images of the Apollo 11 landing in 1969.

The $100 coin.

Obviously you can’t put this coin in a pokie machine.

The earth is pictured in colour behind the astronaut with Australia pointed directly at the landing to symbolise its role in the groundbreaking event.

And behind the image of the Parkes dish facing the moon is an excerpt from Mr Armstrong’s journal of the lunar landing.

The observatory pointed at the moon.

Incredibly, the coins are dome-shaped.

The coins, which will be released purely for collection only, will be dome-shaped to resemble the famous observatory in New South Wales.

Three versions of the coins are now available to order, which includes a five and a half dollar coin, a $5 coin and a $100 coin.

The earth is pictured behind the astronaut in colour.

Of course, what’s a coin without her Majesty the Queen?

The series was crafted in collaboration with the mint’s US counterpart, with that country’s version featuring an image of the footprint on the moon’s surface instead of the dish.

And on the other side is a close-up representation from a famous photograph entitled Buzz Aldrin on the Moon, which was photographed by Mr Armstrong.

Lunar module pilot Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin faces the viewer with the reflection in his helmet of the surface of the moon, Mr Armstrong standing by lunar module Eagle, and the US flag placed at the lunar landing site.

The US version.

The famous footprint will be on the US version of the coin.

Operations Scientist at CSIRO’s Parkes radio telescope, John Sarkissian, said the Apollo 11 mission gave Australia the opportunity to broadcast its expertise in spacecraft tracking and communication.

The Parkes Observatory and NASA’s Honeysuckle Creek tracking station near Canberra made it possible for millions of people around the world to watch the iconic event from their loungerooms.

“Australia and CSIRO are world-leaders in radio astronomy and antenna design,” Mr Sarkissian said.

“This is why NASA came to Australia and the CSIRO Parkes telescope, for our support and geographic location.

“It’s also the reason why we continue to play a role in NASA space missions.”

Former Parkes radio telescope site electrician and driver Ben Lam said it was an honour to be a part of the Apollo 11 extended team.

“These new coins recognise our contribution to the mission’s success and support in sharing the powerful collective experience of the first steps on the moon to 600 million people around the world,” he said.

Former Honeysuckle Creek Tracking Station deputy station director Mike Dinn said the landing was the most dramatic event of the century.

“I was lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to participate in a significant way,” he said.

“It was a triumph of engineering, and showed what can be achieved by humankind.”

Royal Australian Mint chief executive Ross MacDiarmid said it was a triumph of science and human endeavour.

“We are honoured to share these unique coloured domed coins, including the magnificent collaborative set with the United States Mint, to mark 50 years since Australia shared the first human perspective of the Moon’s surface with the world,” he said.

The two coin set.

The Lunar Landing two coin set — 2019 $5 and half dollar proof domed coin has a mintage of 10,000 and retails at $195.00.

The Lunar Landing — 2019 $5 nickel plated fine silver proof domed coin has a mintage of 10,000 and retails $150.00.

The Lunar Landing — 2019 $100 gold proof domed coin has a mintage of 750 and retails at $2795.00.

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