Obverse. Photo © NumisCorner.com
  • 1 Crown 1984, KM# 119, Isle of Man, Elizabeth II, Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics, Gymnastics
  • 1 Crown 1984, KM# 119, Isle of Man, Elizabeth II, Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics, Gymnastics
Description

The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly referred to as Los Angeles 1984, unfolded from July 28 to August 12, 1984, predominantly in Los Angeles, California, United States, marking the city's second time hosting the Games after 1932. Notably, fourteen Eastern Bloc countries, including the Soviet Union and East Germany, boycotted the event in response to the American-led boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, protesting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Only Romania and Yugoslavia from Socialist Europe attended, while Albania, Iran, and Libya also abstained for different reasons. Despite certain sports facing diminished competition due to the boycott, the 1984 Games attracted a record participation of 140 National Olympic Committees. The United States emerged as the top medal winner, securing the most gold and overall medals, followed by Romania and West Germany.

Obverse

Depicts the second crowned portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara, the country name above, and the date below.

The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland tiara was a wedding present in 1947 from her grandmother, Queen Mary, who received it as a gift from the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland in 1893 on the occasion of her marriage to the Duke of York, later George V. Made by E. Wolfe & Co., it was purchased from Garrard & Co. by a committee organised by Lady Eve Greville. In 1914, Mary adapted the tiara to take 13 diamonds in place of the large oriental pearls surmounting the tiara. At first, Elizabeth wore the tiara without its base and pearls but the base was reattached in 1969. The Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara is one of Elizabeth's most recognisable pieces of jewellery due to its widespread use on British banknotes and coinage.

Mint mark: PM (Pobjoy Mint)
Engraver: Arnold Machin

ISLE OF MAN ELIZABETH II
PM
1984

Reverse

Depicts a gymnast doing a handstand.

Gymnastics, a sport demanding strength, flexibility, balance, and control, derives its name from the Greek adjective "gymnos," meaning "naked," as ancient athletes exercised and competed without clothing. The sport has featured in every Summer Olympic Games since the inception of the modern Olympics in 1896 in Athens, initially open exclusively to men for 32 years. It wasn't until the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam that women were allowed to compete in artistic gymnastics events. Rhythmic gymnastics made its Olympic debut in 1984 in Los Angeles, followed by trampolining events introduced at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

Engraver: Leslie Lindsay

TWENTY THIRD OLYMPIAD • LOS ANGELES
• ONE CROWN •

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Cupronickel
Weight 28.28 g
Diameter 38.61 mm
Thickness 3.17 mm
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Pobjoy Mint (PM)

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