Issued to mark the Sydney 2000 Olympics, this piece is one of a sprawling series of Australian five-dollar commemoratives released across 1999–2000 covering individual sports. The Royal Australian Mint produced multiple designs in both base metal and silver, and the aluminium bronze circulation-quality strikes were distributed through coin folders sold at newsagents and Australia Post outlets rather than through normal banking channels — meaning many examples saw no circulation whatsoever and survive in essentially unhandled condition.
Issued to mark the Sydney 2000 Olympics, this piece is one of a sprawling series of Australian five-dollar commemoratives released across 1999–2000 covering individual sports. The Royal Australian Mint produced multiple designs in both base metal and silver, and the aluminium bronze circulation-quality strikes were distributed through coin folders sold at newsagents and Australia Post outlets rather than through normal banking channels — meaning many examples saw no circulation whatsoever and survive in essentially unhandled condition.