This recognises Australia’s part in the Apollo 11 mission when astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first ever human to set foot on the moon.
The limited edition two-coin proof set comes with a 2019-S US Apollo 11 half dollar and a one-ounce silver $5 Proof Australian coin.
Both coins are in the concave/convex shape popular with coin collectors, especially on commemorative limited edition coins about space and astronomy.
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The coin set went on sale at the Royal Australian Mint last week and will be shipped in early June, in plenty of time to arrive before the moon landing anniversary on July 19.
The set comes in an acrylic display box, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity signed by Royal Australian Mint chief executive Ross MacDiarmid and US Mint director David Ryder.
The Australian coin features an astronaut and moon lander in the foreground and the the Earth with the Australian continent highlighted in the background.
The US coin shows an image of the moon on one side and Neil Armstrong’s footprint on the other.
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Australia played a small but vital role in the Apollo missions. To maintain full-time coverage, tracking stations in the US, Spain and Australia received information from the command module and lander.
The historic TV imagery of Armstrong setting foot on the moon was received and transmitted to the world from the Honeysuckle Creek tracking station, outside Canberra.
“This jointly issued coin set magnificently symbolises our long-standing alliance and friendship with Australia,” said Ryder.
“Many Americans will remember listening for the critical reports from the tracking stations in Australia at Carnarvon, Honeysuckle Creek, Tidbinbilla and Parkes, as the Apollo 11 spacecraft travelled to, orbited and landed on the moon.”
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