Wear to the outer box.

A silver coin commemorating 50 years of Australian sovereignty over Christmas Island. Struck by The Perth Mint from 1oz of 99.9% pure silver in proof quality, the coin is issued as legal tender under the Australian Currency Act 1965.

Christmas Island is located in the Indian Ocean approximately 2,650km north-west of Perth. Just 19km long and 14km wide the island was named by Captain William Mynors of the Royal Mary, who passed by on 25 December 1643. In 1688, crewman of the British vessel Cygnet made the first recorded landing.

Christmas Island became part of the British Empire in 1888 following the discovery of high-quality phosphate of lime. Chinese, Malay and Indian workers were recruited to mine the valuable resource, which remains the backbone of the Island’s economy.

After World War II, during which the Japanese temporarily occupied the Island, the Australian and New Zealand Governments acquired the interests of the Christmas Island Phosphate Company. Australia’s desire to assume sovereignty of the Island was realised on 1 October 1958, when it became an Australian Territory under the Christmas Island Act.

According to the Australian Government’s Department of Environment, no other land area or reserve in Australia supports so many internationally and nationally significant species in such a small area. Today, more than 60 percent of the Island is under the protection of the Christmas Island National Park, providing exceptional opportunities for ecological study.

The coin’s reverse design depicts the Golden Bosun bird, which is unique to Christmas Island, and a coloured representation of a large Red Crab. Millions of Red Crabs migrate annually from the rainforest on Christmas Island to the sea in what is one of the wonders of the natural world. As well as The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark, the reverse also includes the inscriptions CHRISTMAS ISLAND, AUSTRALIAN TERRITORY and 50 YEARS 1958-2008.

The coin’s obverse bears the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the 2008 year-date and the monetary denomination.

No more than 5,000 coins will be issued by The Perth Mint.

Technical Specifications