Perth Mint

The Perth Mint is located in Perth, Western Australia, and is responsible for producing all Austalian precious metals bars and coins, in addition to some of the country's currency.


A History of the Perth Mint

The Perth Mint was first founded in 1899, when Australia was still a colony of the United Kingdom. At that time, the British Sovereign was well recognised and used worldwide by the U.K., its colonies and other countries operating active trading posts. Countries were willing to use and accept the British Sovereign as currency because it is a gold coin. 

Due to the popularity of the British Sovereign gold coin, the U.K. government established subsidiary branches of the Royal Mint in some of its colonies in order to manufacture British Sovereigns to promote trade. These branches included the Royal Canadian Mint, located in Ottawa, and the Perth Mint. 

Because Australia is a resource rich country, a large number of people moving to the colony were motivated by the search for gold. Raw gold was purchased by the Perth Mint, and refined into precious metals coins, and particularly gold Sovereigns. The Perth Mint manufactured gold Sovereigns until 1931, when the United Kingdom went off of the gold standard.

The Perth Mint remained under juristdiction of the Royal Mint in the United Kingdom until 1970, when it became independent.  

In 1957 the Perth Mint sucessfully produced what is still regarded as the purest gold bullion ever refined - a 13 ounce gold plate with a purity of 999.999 fine. 

In 1987 the Perth Mint began to focus on launching and circulating its own range of precious metals coins, starting with the 1 Ounce Australian gold nugget. 

Today the Perth Mint manufactures a range of highly popular and sought after precious metals bars and coins. These include the Australian Kangaroo, which is available in gold, silver and platinum, the Kookaburra and Koala series, which are available in silver, and the Platypus coin available in platinum. The Perth Mint also produce a range of gold and silver bars.


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The Australian Kangaroo Coin Series

The Australian Kangaroo series was initially launched as the Australian Nugget in 1987. Originally the coin was only available in gold, however it was launched in 1993 in silver, and in 2017 in platinum. The front of each coin features an image of Queen Elizabeth II, with the coin's face value at the bottom. The reverse of the coin features an image of a Kangaroo. The image of the Kangaroo is updated each year, making the coins popular with collectors as well as investors. Below are some samples of the various designs used on Perth Mint Kangaroo gold coins

The image of a Kangaroo on the silver and platinum coins is also updated each year, and is different from that of the gold Kangaroo. At the base of each coin is the year of minting, the coin's weight and its purity. All gold Kangaroo coins have a purity of 99.99, the platinum Kangaroo has a purity of 99.95, and the silver Kangaroo has a purity 99.99.

Australian Kangaroo Coin Face Values
Gold
1 Oz Gold Kangaroo $100 AUD
1/2 Oz Gold Kangaroo $50 AUD
1/4 Oz Gold Kangaroo $25 AUD
1/10 Oz Gold Kangaroo $10 AUD
Silver
1 Oz Silver Kangaroo $1 AUD
Platinum
1 Oz Platinum Kangaroo $100 AUD

 


The Australian Kookaburra and Koala Coin Series

The Silver Australian Kookaburra and Koala coins are the two most popular silver coins available from the Perth Mint. The Mint originally launched the silver Kookaburra series in 1990, and released the silver Koala series in 2007. Unlike most other silver government issued silver coins, the Australian silver Kookaburra and Koala are both available in a range of sizes, including 1/2 Ounce, 1 Ounce, 2 Ounce, 5 Ounce, 10 Ounce and 1 Kilogram. The most popular size for both coins is the 1 Ounce silver coin, which has a face value of $1 AUD. Like the Kangaroo series, the design on the silver Koala and silver Kookaburra coin is updated each year. This makes the coins popular with collectors. Not only do they sell for a higher premium over the spot silver price, some of the coins appreciate in value. This, however is speculative and not guaranteed. 
 
Australian Koala Silver Coin Designs
Australian Kookaburra Silver Coin Designs

 


The Australian Platinum Platypus Coin

The Australian Platypus coin was first released by the Perth Mint in 1987. Unlike all other coins issued by the Perth Mint, the design of the platypus coin remains the same each year. The front of each coin features an image of Queen Elizabeth II, with the coin's legal tender value at the bottom. All 1 Oz Platypus coins have a face value of $100 AUD. The reverse of the coin features a duck billed Platypus swimming. At the base of the coins is it's year of minting, weight and fineness. All 1 Oz platypus coins have a fineness of 9995. These coins are sold in a plastic capsule. 

There are far fewer platinum coins available on the precious metals market than there are gold or silver coins. As a result the platypus is very popular with investors who prefer to buy platinum coins instead of bars. The other prominent 1 ounce platinum coin available to platinum investors is the platinum Maple Leaf coin. These coins come sealed in a plastic capsule from the Perth Mint. 


Australian Gold and Silver Bars

The Perth Mint also sell a range of gold and silver bars. These gold and silver bars sell at a lower margin over the spot price than their range of coins do. This is primarily due to the fact that the manufacturing costs are lower for their gold and silver bars. For investors looking to buy gold and silver based on the premium above spot, the Perth Mint bars are a better option than the Perth Mint coins. However, Perth Mint bars are less likely to appreciate.

Perth Mint gold bars are available in a range of sizes, from 1 gram to 1 kilogram, with the most popular size being the 1 Ounce Perth Mint gold bar. These gold bars are available in both cast and minted styles. 

The Perth Mint silver bar is available in sizes from 1 Ounce to 100 Ounces, with 1 Kilogram and 100 Ounces being the most popular sizes. This is because individuals looking to buy silver for an investment tend to prefer purchasing the metal in larger quantities. 

Perth Mint precious metals products are well recognised and regarded worldwide. All coins issued by the mint have a legal tender value backed by the Australian government. Like coins issued by the Canadian or British governments, coins issued by the Australian government are trusted by the precious metals market. For individuals looking to invest into bullion, Perth Mint products are an excellent option. 


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