2016-12-09 Fri

The third and final coin of the Northern Sky series of domed and coloured coins by the Royal Australian Mint depicting star constellations was released on 5th December. The coins were sold out within a day too!

The latest coin features “Cygnus,” which is the most visible northern sky constellation that lies on the plane of the Milky Way. The name comes from the Greek word for “swan”. It is popular for its Northern Cross and is the 16th largest of the 88 modern constellations, discovered by the second-century astronomer Ptolemy. The legend says that Zeus disguised himself as a swan to lure Leda and their children were immortalised in the sky as swans.

The concave reverse of the 2016-dated $5 Cygnus Proof coin made of one ounce of .999 silver features the stars of the Northern Cross with a vibrant blue-and-green background. A rocky terrain is seen below. The convex obverse features the common Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. The coin comes in a lovely presentation box with an official certificate of authenticity.

The earlier coins in the Northern Sky series featured the Cassiopeia and Ursa Major constellations. They were issued at the end of 2015 and were also sold out within few weeks.