2016 Mob of Boxing Kangaroos Athletics $1 Coloured Uncirculated Coin - Orange Card

2016 Mob of Boxing Kangaroos Athletics $1 Coloured Uncirculated Coin in Card - Melissa Breen Orange Card

As part of the Royal Australian Mint 2016 Australian Olympic Team Coin Program, the patriotic ‘mob of boxing kangaroos’ will represent in a way we haven’t seen them before. Packaged in a bezel with ribbon attached and available in three different Coin Program ambassador cards, these coins can be worn with pride like a special Olympic medal.

The image of a red-gloved golden kangaroo on a green background originally became and Australian icon when the Boxing Kangaroo flag was flown as a battle flag on our America’s Cup winning yacht, Australia II, in 1983. The Boxing Kangaroo quickly became recognisable worldwide as a symbol of the Australian fighting spirit.

Today, it remains a powerfully emotive rallying point for Australian sporting pride. Becoming the official mascot for the Australian Olympic Team in 1993, this image has become familiar to all Australians as the symbol of sport and fair play in schools around the country.

The colourful design is also a playful take on Stuart Devlin’s much-loved 1984 ‘mob of roos’ design that we see today on Australia’s $1 coin. Olympians and coin program ambassadors basketballer Patty Mills, swimmer Tom Fraser-Holmes and sprinter Melissa Breen feature on the three different packaging cards sharing their stories for the road to Rio. These coins form part of the official 2016 Australian Olympic Team Coin Program. Each coin is packaged in a bezel (holding ring) with a ribbon to be worn as a medal.

The coin’s reverse features a mob of boxing kangaroos in striking colour.