Auckland's "City of Sails" nickname derives from the city having one of the highest per-capita boat ownership rates in the world — a distinction that was already well established by the mid-1990s and actively promoted ahead of New Zealand's successful America's Cup defence campaigns. The 1995 Black Magic victory by Team New Zealand, which came just months before this coin's release, gave the theme immediate resonance.
Struck to the same specifications as the concurrent Commonwealth commemorative crown series, KM#99a is the silver proof variant of a base-metal issue.
Auckland's "City of Sails" nickname derives from the city having one of the highest per-capita boat ownership rates in the world — a distinction that was already well established by the mid-1990s and actively promoted ahead of New Zealand's successful America's Cup defence campaigns. The 1995 Black Magic victory by Team New Zealand, which came just months before this coin's release, gave the theme immediate resonance.
Struck to the same specifications as the concurrent Commonwealth commemorative crown series, KM#99a is the silver proof variant of a base-metal issue.