On 10th July, Ireland issued €15 .925 silver Proof coins to celebrate the 100th anniversary of transatlantic aviation. The Royal Dutch Mint produced the coins in Utrecht for the Central Bank of Ireland. Designed by PJ Lynch, the obverse side features the aeroplane which was flown across the Atlantic Ocean, with the island of Ireland in the background. Other inscriptions on the obverse include the texts “100 YEARS OF TRANSATLANTIC AVIATION” and “15 EURO”.

The reverse side depicts a harp which is Ireland’s national emblem along with the inscriptions EIRE and 2019. The 28.2 grams coin has a diameter of 38.6 millimetres and a mintage limit of 3,000 pieces. The coin comes in a specially designed case along with a numbered certificate of authenticity.

In 1913, the Daily Mail had declared that the person who flies across the Atlantic Ocean would win £10,000 as prize money. The competition was called off in 1914 due to the ongoing War and was later launched again in 1918. British pilots John Alcock and Arthur Brown went to St. John’s in Newfoundland and flew their Vickers Vimy aeroplane for 16 hours, 28 minutes across the Atlantic Ocean successfully and landed in Clifden County, Galway, Ireland on 15th June 1919. The pilots weren’t hurt during the flight and landed almost 25 miles north of their destination. This was the first non-stop transatlantic flight in the history of Aviation.

Image Courtesy: Central Bank of Ireland