206) An Australian Five Dollar coin issued by the Royal Australian Mint in 1996, to commemorate Sir Donald Bradman, Australia’s Greatest Cricketing Legend:

206) An Australian Five Dollar coin issued by the Royal Australian Mint in 1996, to commemorate Sir Donald Bradman, Australia’s Greatest Cricketing Legend:

The cover image of the Reverse of a coin card containing an Australian $5 coin issued in 1996 with the inscription “SIR DONALD BRADMAN” on the upper periphery and “5 DOLLARS” on the lower periphery. An image of the great legend is in the centre in cricketing gear, donning the Australian cap and in the stance of striking the ball. Also on the coin card is seen Bradman’s photograph looking right. The coin Card reads – “A SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO SIR DONALD BRADMAN”.

 The Reverse of the AUD $5 coin card showing Donald Bradman in a batting stance on the coin and an image of the Don executing a stroke.

The Obverse of the coin card containing an Australian $5 coin with an image of the Queen facing right & the inscription “ELIZABETH II” on the left periphery and “AUSTRALIA” on the right periphery. Also mentioned on this face is “ROYAL AUSTRALIAN MINT”.

On the Card there is also,  a brief description of Bradman’s Test cricket record: “Sir Donald Bradman debuted for New South Wales in the 1927-28 season at just 19. He amassed a career total of 28, 067 runs, including 117 hundreds. His Test batting average of 99.94 established over a test career of 20 years and 52 Tests stands not only as a record unlikely to be surpassed, but as testimony to his pre-eminent standing in the game of cricket”.  

The Obverse of the AUD $5 coin showing the image of the Queen.

Some Facts about Sir Donald George Bradman (27.08.1908– 25.02.2001):

Born on 27.08.1908, Sir Donald George Bradman (nicknamed The Don or the Boy from Bowral, Braddles) was an Australian cricketer, who is widely acknowledged as the greatest Test batsman of all time.

He recorded a Test batting average of 99.94 which is mentioned as the greatest achievement by any sportsman in any major sport. (He missed scoring a perfect batting average of 100.00 by just four runs in his last innings)

As a youngster, Bradman practiced playing cricket alone with a cricket stump and a golf ball. His phenomenal rise from playing bush cricket to having a place in the Australian Test Team took just two years.

Before his 22^nd birthday, he had set many records for top scoring, some of which still stand today and became Australia’s sporting idol during the Great depression.

During a 20-year playing career, he scored consistently at a pace that made him stand out among every other batsman of his time and beyond.

The English team devised a controversial set of tactics in a Cricket Series which came to be known as the “Bodyline Series” to counter his fabulous scoring average. Bradman countered the English tactics by valiantly adjusting his game and scoring from shots reminiscent of tennis or golf shots and was the stand-out Australian cricketer despite the English team winning the series.

Bradman’s style of cricket as a captain and player was that of an attacking, entertaining cricket which spectators came from all over in record numbers to see and to recount.

His personal nature was such that he hated constant adulation of any kind. The constant focus of attention on his individual performances strained his relationship with some of his team-mates, sports journalists and cricket administrators who considered him to be aloof and wary.

On 28.06.1940, during World War II, Bradman joined the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) where the exertion of the job aggravated his chronic muscular problems, which were diagnosed as fibrositis. He had to leave the RAAF on medical grounds

He made his comeback after World War II in the 1946-47 Ashes series.  Later, he was captain of an Australian team in 1948, which was called “The Invincibles” and which went on a record breaking unbeaten tour of England winning the Series 4 – 0.

Later, he took up assignments as an Administrator, Selector and Sports writer for three decades following his retirement. Even though he had now became highly reclusive, his opinion was greatly sought after and his status as a national icon was very much recognised.

He passed away on 25.02.2001 at the age of 92.

Some of his achievements on the Test Cricket arena:

His Test debut was on 30.11.1928 (against England) and his last Test match was played on 18.08.1948 (against England).

His batting average of 99.94 is one of cricket’s most well known records. No other player who has played more than 20 Test match innings has finished with a Test average of more than 61. He played in 52 Test matches, scored 6996 runs with a top score of 334.

Bradman scored centuries at a rate better than one every three innings in 80 Test innings, in all scoring 29 Test centuries. Only 11 players have since surpassed his total, all at a much slower rate, the next fastest player to reach 29 centuries , Sachin Tendulkar, required 148 innings to do so.

He also scored 12 Test double centuries the most achieved by any batsman and scored the fastest of all. The next highest is Kumara Sangakkara with 11 double centuries in 223 innings.

Honours:

In 1939, Bradman had a Royal Navy ship named after him. Built as a fishing trawler, the “HMS Bradman” was inducted into the Australian Navy under his name.

He was honoured at a number of cricket grounds and his portrait was hung in the Long Room at Lord’s (one of three Australians to be honoured in this manner).

In 1963, in a special commemorative selection compiled by Wisden for its 100^th edition, “Wisden’s Cricketers’ Almanac”, he was selected as one of the six giants of the Wisden Century the other five being – Sydney Barnes, W.G. Grace, Jack Hobbs, Tom Richardson and Victor Trumper.

Wisden hailed him as “the greatest phenomenon in the history of cricket, indeed in the history of all ball games”.

In 1974, The “Bradman Stand” at the Sydney cricket Ground was inaugurated by him

On 16.06.1979, the Australian government awarded him the nation’s second-highest civilian honour – the “Companion of the Order of Australia” (AC) in recognition of his service to the sport of cricket and cricket administration.

On 10.12.1985, Bradman was the first of 120 inaugural inductees into the “Sport Australia Hall of Fame”.

In 1988, at the Bradman Oval in Bowral, the Bradman Museum was opened. This was later converted into a non-profitable Charitable Trust called the Bradman Foundation, which was expanded and rebranded as the International Cricket Hall of Fame.

In 1990, the Australian Oval also had a “Bradman Stand” constructed and demolished in 2013 when the Oval underwent a renovation.

In 1996, the Australian Cricket Hall of fame made Bradman one of its inaugural members.

In 2000, Bradman was selected by cricket experts as one of the five Wisden Cricketers of the century by a unanimous vote among its 100 panellists.

In 2001, he was hailed as the “greatest living Australian” by the Australian Prime Minister, Howard – more than 50 years after his retirement as a Test player.

On 27.08.2008, the Royal Australian Mint issued an AUD $5 Commemorative gold coin in his honour, depicting his image.

Bradman became the first living Australian to be honoured with a postage stamp, three years before his passing away.

A 20 cent coin was issued to commemorate his life, after he passed away.

There are songs written on him “Our Don Bradman” (1930s), “Bradman” (1980s) and “Sir Don” (a tribute performed at his Memorial service).

For outstanding achievements in the field of cricket, a term “Bradmanesque” has been coined and is used both within and outside cricketing circles.

Bradman has more biographies on him than any other Australian. He himself wrote four books – Don Bradman’s Book – The Story of My Cricketing Life with Hints on Batting”, Bowling and fielding (1930), My Cricketing Life (1938), Farewell to Cricket (1950) and The Art of Cricket (1958).

The story of the Bodyline Series was the subject of a 1984 television mini-series in which Bradman was portrayed as a courageous, adaptive cricketer.

(This commemorative coin-card is from the Collection of Jayant Biswas. Coin card scanned and Post researched and written by Rajeev Prasad)


 Links:

1) Coins commemorating the Commonwealth Games in India & other Indian Sports

2) Coins commemorating London Olympics

3) 100 Rouble Banknote Commemorating the Sochi Winter Olympics 2014

4) A set of four stamps issued by India Post to commemorate the FIFA World Cup held in Brazil 2014

5) The 2014 Ryder Cup Commemorative Banknote 

6) Limited Edition Gold & Silver coins issued on Sachin Tendulkar "World's Greatest Batsman" by the New Zealind Mint

7) Australia's greatest Cricketing Legend Sir Donald bradman honoured by issue of 5 Pound Austrailan coins by the Royal Australian Mint.

8) Commemorative Coins issued on the occasion of Moscow Summer Olympics 1980 by the Russian Mint  

Links to Posts on Australia, New Zealand and countries and Overseas Territories of the South Pacific on this blog:

1) Bank of Papua New Guinea: 36th Anniversary Celebrations (1973-2008): A Commemorative Uncirulated Coin Set consisting of a 2 Kina Banknote & a 2 Kina Coin

2) Papua New Guinea: An uncirculated coin set brought out in 1995 commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Independence 

 3) Currency & Coinage of the Soloman Islands: Dollars and Cents

4) New Zealand: New Banknote "Seventh Series" issued under Project "Brighter Money" from 2015 onwards

5) Coinage of the French Polynesian Island of Caledonia (or Nouvelle Caledonie) the CFP Franc  

6) French Institution for issuing uniform currency/coinage for French Overseas Territories in the Pacific and the French Southern Territories of Antarctica: The Institut d'emmission d'outre Mer (IEOM)

7) Currency & Coinage of Samoa: Tala and Sene 

8) Currency of the South Pacific Island Country of Fiji 

9) Coinage of New Zealand: A commemorative coin set issued in 1979 

10) Currency and Coinage of Australia: Dollars and Cents 

11) The Australian Emblem or the Coat of Arms 

12) The story of the Australian Penny 

13) The Legend of the Mutiny on the Bounty: A Commemorative Coin Set from the Pitcairn Islands depicting relics from the Bounty issued in 2009 

14) An Australian $5 coin issued in 1996, commemorating Australia's greatest cricketing legend - Sir Donald Bradman 

15) New Series/Generation of Australian Banknotes being introduced from 01.09.2016 onwards starting from $5 issues