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Item: Perth Mint 2011 Famous Battles in Australian History Series - Tobruk 1oz Silver Proof Coin

Issue Mint: The Perth Mint

Legal Tender: Australian $1

Mintage: 5,000

Material: 1 Troy oz 99.9% Silver

Condition: Brand New in original issue condition. The coin is presented in a prestigious display case with a specially illustrated shipper andaccompanied by a Numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Issue Price: $107.00

Release Date: 1 July 2011

Theme Background

The Battle of Tobruk was a lengthy confrontation between Axis and Allied forces in North Africa during the Western Desert Campaign of the Second World War. The siege started on 11 April 1941, when Tobruk was attacked by an Italian-German force under Lieutenant General Rommel and continued for 240 days.

The siege was only a couple of months old when the renegade Lord Haw Haw, broadcasting from Berlin, said the Allies were "caught like rats in a trap". The Allied soldiers accepted the title with alacrity and became the renowned ‘Rats of Tobruk’. The blockade continued for eight months, during which the men endured intense bombing raids, entombed in their desert fortress. However, the Allies held their ground and defied the seemingly unstoppable blitzkrieg war of the Germans.

In addition, the Royal Navy and Allied artillery played a crucial role in Tobruk’s defence in providing gunfire support, military supplies, fresh troops and aid in the evacuation of the wounded. Maintaining control of Tobruk was crucial to the Allied war effort and marked a turning point in the Second World War. The siege of Tobruk was finally lifted in December 1941.

There were those that could not answer those longed-for evacuation orders. Casualties from all sides of the conflict lie in windswept cemeteries around Tobruk.

Previous Releases

• Gallipoli

Forthcoming Releases

• Kokoda
• Kapyong
• Long Tan

Design

The coin’s reverse depicts an Australian soldier, or Rat of Tobruk, wearing Second World War Western Desert Campaign military issue. The background incorporates a printed historical image of soldiers at Tobruk, and the inscription TOBRUK 1941. The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark is also included into the design.

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.

The coin’s obverse depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the monetary denomination.

Technical Specifications