Phar Lap died in Menlo Park, California in April 1932, and his cause of death remained disputed for decades — arsenic poisoning was long suspected, and a 2008 forensic study of preserved hair samples confirmed abnormally high arsenic levels consistent with acute ingestion in the days before he died. The Royal Australian Mint issued this commemorative as part of the centenary of federation series, though Phar Lap's connection to national identity had by 2000 long outlasted any single anniversary.
Phar Lap died in Menlo Park, California in April 1932, and his cause of death remained disputed for decades — arsenic poisoning was long suspected, and a 2008 forensic study of preserved hair samples confirmed abnormally high arsenic levels consistent with acute ingestion in the days before he died. The Royal Australian Mint issued this commemorative as part of the centenary of federation series, though Phar Lap's connection to national identity had by 2000 long outlasted any single anniversary.