Melbourne, 27 January 2012 | tennis.com.au

The specially released Australian one dollar uncirculated aluminum bronze coins, to be tossed prior to the Australian Open 2012 women’s and men’s finals, will be auctioned by Tennis Australia on eBay.

The auction is open to everyone, and swung into action yesterday at 8.00pm AEST and will run until Tuesday 31 January 2012 at 8.00pm AEST.

These highly collectible commemorative coins have been produced by Australia’s National Mint – the Royal Australian Mint in Canberra.

“The design of the coin tossed at the women’s singles final will feature the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup, Australian Open women’s singles trophy. Whereas the coin for the men’s singles final comes complete with a design of the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup, the trophy of the Australian Open men’s singles championship,” Craig Tiley, Australian Open Tournament Director said.

“The Australian Open takes on added significance in 2012, given it’s the 100th staging of the men’s singles championship.

“All proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Australian Tennis Foundation, which provides greater access to tennis for those with limited opportunities,” Tiley continued.

This includes indigenous Australians, people from low socio-economic backgrounds, those with physical or mental disabilities, new arrivals to Australia and people with multicultural backgrounds, and Australians living in regional and remote areas.

Through its programs the foundation aims to improve people’s health, confidence and self-esteem, encourage values such as respect, honesty, teamwork and sportsmanship, and decrease the impact of social isolation.

The auction will take place through Tennis Australia’s eBay account:

• Australian Open women’s singles coin auction
• Australian Open men’s singles coin auction