Cutty Sark Clipper Ship Featured on Silver Proof Coin

The Perth Mint of Australia has issued the fifth and final silver coin in the Ships That Changed the World series. The Cutty Sark Silver Proof Coin is available now and continues the storied tale of the Cutty Sark which dates back over a century.

Built in 1869, the clipper ship would start off in service to the tea trade. As part of that commercial venture, competitions were held seeking the fastest transit times from China to London. The most famous of these races saw the Cutty Sark pitted against the Thermopylae in 1872.

Unfortunately, the Cutty Sark lost her rudder in the Sunda Strait and her crew was forced to create an improvised rudder. Despite the complications, it arrived just one week after the Thermopylae.

The infamous clipper ship would yet prevail in competition years later during the wool races. Running from Australia to Britain, she won the wool race ten years out of ten, beating the Thermopylae every time they met. Her record time for the race was 67 days.

Those interested in the story of the Cutty Sark will find that she is preserved in dry dock at Greenwich as part of the National Historic Fleet.

Previous coins struck as part of the Ships that Changed the World series include:

• Santa Maria Silver Proof Coin
• Golden Hind Silver Proof Coin
• Mayflower Silver Proof Coin
• USS Constitution Silver Proof Coin

Silver Proof Coin Design, Specifications and Order Details

Shown on the reverse of the proof coin is a depiction of the famous clipper ship with her sails unfurled. It is depicted sailing in blue water in front of a colored globe map. The design is the work of Tom Vaughan and also includes the inscriptions of "CUTTY SARK" and "1 oz 999 SILVER."

Each coin is struck as legal tender of the island nation of Tuvalu with a face value of TUV $1. The face value is inscribed on the obverse of the coin with "1 DOLLAR," which is joined by the inscriptions of "TUVALUA," "2012" and "QUEEN ELIZABETH II." These surround the Raphael Maklouf effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

The Perth strikes each coin in the series to proof quality from one ounce of 99.9% pure silver. Each strike has a minimum gross weight of 31.135 grams, a diameter of 40.60 mm and a maximum thickness of 4.00 mm.

The Cutty Sark Silver Proof Coin is housed in a display case and comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity inside an illustrated shipper showing an image of the ship. The Perth Mint indicates the maximum mintage for the coin at 5,000.

Purchases of the coin may be made directly from the Perth Mint for AUS $97.27.

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About the Perth Mint

The Royal Mint of England established the Perth Mint (www.perthmint.com.au) as a branch facility in 1899 to refine and strike gold recovered from nearby deposits. Ownership was transferred to the State Government of Western Australia in 1970. Today the Perth is responsible for the Australian Federal Government’s Gold and Silver Bullion Coin Program in addition to striking some of the most unique numismatic coins in the world.