EARLIER this week (May 14) at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney, the Royal Australian Mint launched the first coins of a new limited edition commemorative coin series, featuring the mutiny on the HMS Bounty, The Rum Rebellion and The Eureka Stockade.

Mint general manager of sales, marketing and distribution Mark Cartwright said: “This unique and artistically detailed coin series acknowledges historical events and people from Australia’s tempestuous colonial era, a time that resulted in mutiny and rebellion but contributed to eventual egalitarian democracy and rule of law in our nation.”

The coins were unveiled by head of research at the museum, Nigel Erskine, along side Cartwright and Mint coin designer Adam Ball.

Using state-of-the-art software and hardware often used in the video games and film industry, Ball was determined to capture this part of history as creatively as possible, as if it were being photographed using the extremely high fidelity that this technology can achieve.

Erskine said the release of the Mutiny on the Bounty five and one dollar coins is testimony to the continuing fascination in Australian history, with the life of William Bligh – the subject of a new major exhibition “Bligh – Hero or Villain” opening at the museum in July.