In 2020, the Royal Australian Mint introduced the Australian Shipwreck Series. The four-coin release from the sovereign mint of Australia features unique designs representing Dutch East India Company ships of the 17^th and 18^th centuries that met a disastrous fate off the coast of Western Australia in the Indian Ocean. Provident Metals currently has 2021 Australian Shipwreck Zeewijk 1 oz Silver Coins available to you for purchase online.

Highlights:

• Arrives with an individual protective plastic capsule!
• 4^th and final coin in the Australian Shipwreck Silver Series!
• Limited mintage of just 20,000 silver coins!
• Contains 1 Troy oz of .999 pure silver in BU condition.
• Issued a face value of $1 (AUD) by the government of Australia.
• The obverse depicts Queen Elizabeth II.
• On the reverse is the Zeewijk.

When you purchase a 2021 Australian Shipwreck Zeewijk 1 oz Silver Coin from Provident Metals, you will receive a coin that is in Brilliant Uncirculated condition. Each coin is individually housed inside of triangular protective plastic capsules that are custom-fit for these impressive bullion coins.

Obverse

The obverse side of 2021 Australian Shipwreck Zeewijk Silver Coins features the bust of Queen Elizabeth II at the top of one of the corners of the triangular coin. This is the 1998 design from Ian Rank-Broadley. In the scene below the Queen, the survivors of the Zeewijk shipwreck work to save themselves by building a new ship to sail away from the shipwreck site in hopes of reaching Batavia, modern-day Indonesia. The inscriptions include Elizabeth II, Australia 2021, and One Dollar.

Reverse

On the reverse side of 2021 Australian Shipwreck Zeewijk 1 oz Silver Coins is the ship itself. The ship is shown as it appeared in 1725 when its initial construction was completed and it was readied to set sail for Batavia. The design field includes VOC at the top, an inscription of the Dutch initials for the Dutch East India Company, which is Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie in Dutch. If you turn the ship upside down, you can see the inscriptions of 1 oz. 999 Ag, Zeewijk, and 1727.

History

The Zeewijk was, like all Dutch East India Company vessels, required to sail to Batavia using the Brouwer Route to cross from Cape of Good Hope off Africa to Batavia. The route used the prevailing westerly winds to travel eastward and then turn north for Batavia. The Zeewijks captain ignored this route in the interest of vising Western Australia.

As a result, the Zeewijk became shipwrecked on the coral reefs of the Houtman Abrolhos island group off the coast of Western Australia. 10 men died by drowning as the crew attempted to launch its longboat. Eventually, all the crewmembers were moved to Gun Island where seals, fruits, and fresh water were available to sustain the crew. 12 men setoff in the longboat for Batavia one month after the shipwreck, but were never seen again. By the fall of 1727, the crew used materials from the crashed Zeewijk and mangrove timber from Gun Island to build a boat they named Sloepie. In February 1728, the Sloepie set sail with the remaining survivors and reached Batavia in April. 82 of the original 208-man crew survived. The Sloepie became the first European vessel built in Australia.

Ordering

Provident Metals customer service is available to assist you at 800-313-3315. We are also available online through our live chat and email address.