Perth Mint

History of the Perth Mint

The late 1800s marked the first wave of Australia's gold rushes. In New South Wales and Victoria, this gold rush period led to branch mints of the Royal Mint of the British Empire being established in Sydney and Melbourne to manufacture gold Sovereigns. After rich gold deposits were found in Western Australia in the 1890s, the Perth Mint was also established in 1899 as a branch mint of the Royal Mint. Like the other two branch mints in Australia, the Perth Mint initially only manufactured gold Sovereigns until 1931.

In 1970, ownership of the mint was transferred from the British Government to the Western Australian Government and the mint and refinery became known as the 'Western Australian Mint'. In 1986, the mint founded a marketing company called GoldCorp Australia. This company would market the mint's new government-backed bullion coin program to the world. In 1988, a new holding company called Gold Corporation was formed by the Government of Western Australia, and both GoldCorp Australia and the Western Australian Mint became subsidiaries.

In 1998, 'Western Australian Mint' launched a joint-venture with the Golden West Refining Corp which was called Australian Gold Refineries (AGR). The Perth MInt transferred all its precious metals refining and production operations to this new venture. In 2002, AGR merged with Johnson Matthey's precious metals refining operations and a new entity called AGR Matthey was formed. In 2010, Perth Mint took full ownership of AGR Matthey and all its refining operations and assets.

Perth Mint annual release bullion coins

The Perth Mint is officially appointed as the sole producer of the Australian government's bullion coin program. This program includes four series of precious metals coins that feature native Australian wildlife and a fifth series that commemorate animals from the Chinese lunar calendar.

The coins in this program are released each year, always with new designs on the reverse. This makes the coins equally as collectible as they are intrinsically valuable. The Perth Mint’s annual release bullion coins include:

Australian Gold Kangaroo

The Australian Gold Kangaroo was launched in 1986 as the Australian Gold Nugget. Initial designs of the coin featured new images of raw gold nuggets each year, representing Western Australia’s vast gold reserves. In 1990, this coin series was changed to the Australian Gold Kangaroo and began to display different images of kangaroos each year.

The Australian Gold Kangaroo is made from .9999 pure 24 karat gold and is available in numerous denominations, from the small 1/10 oz Gold Kangaroo to larger ¼ oz Gold Kangaroo, ½ oz Gold Kangaroo and 1 oz Gold Kangaroo Coins.

Australian Silver Kangaroo

The Silver Kangaroo coins were first launched in 1993. Like the Gold Kangaroo, the Silver Kangaroo Coins feature an annually-changing design of a kangaroo. Struck from .9999 pure silver, these coins are a favorite amongst investors worldwide. In 2018, an authentication detail was added in the form of a micro-engraved A concealed within the third 'A' in Australia. These coins are only released as a 1 oz Australian Silver Kangaroo.

Australian Silver Kookaburra

First released in 1990, the Australian Silver Kookaburra series was the first silver coin of its kind to be launched by the Perth Mint and remains only available in silver. These coins depict the infamous native kookaburra bird. Australian Silver Kookaburras are made from .999 fine silver and have limited mintage that makes them highly-prized assets.

The Australian Silver Kookaburra coin is available in different denominations, from the 1 oz Silver Kookaburra Coin to larger 10 oz Silver Australian Kookaburra and even a 1kg Australian Silver Kookaburra.

Australian Silver Koala

The Silver Koala Coins continue the Perth Mint’s tradition of minting coins featuring native Australian animals, this time with the cuddly koala bear. This coin series was launched in 2007 following the popularity of the Kookaburra Coins.

As with the other Perth Mint bullion products, the Silver Koala features a new koala design each year on the reverse of the coin. The coins are available only in silver, made from 99.9% or 99.99% purity silver and available in different denominations from the 1 oz Australian Koala to the 1 kg Koala Silver Coin.

Australian Platinum Platypus

First released in 1989, the Platinum Platypus coin was the first annual-issue platinum bullion coin from a major industrialized nation. The coins are made from .9995 pure platinum and available in a 1 oz denomination.

Perth Mint Lunar Series

The Perth Mint’s Lunar Series is one of its most popular offerings. These limited collections feature each of the 12 animals from the Chinese Zodiac with a new design each year. The first series, Lunar Series I, ran from 1996 to 2007. The program started again in 2008 with the Lunar Series II which featured new and distinct designs from the first series. Lunar Series III was released in 2020 with the beginning of a new Chinese lunar cycle.

The Lunar Series is available in both gold and silver. The Gold Lunar Series is made from 99.99% pure gold and the Silver Lunar Series are made from 99.9% pure silver. Coins in the series are available in different denominations. Different coins in the series include the 10 oz Lunar III Gold Rabbit, 2 oz Lunar III Gold Dragon, 2 oz Lunar III Silver Dragon, and 5 oz Lunar III Silver Rabbit.

Perth Mint gold bars

As well as their outstanding range of exceptional silver and gold coins, the Perth Mint also manufactures investment-grade gold bullion bars. These are made from .9999 pure 24 karat gold and feature the Perth Mint’s recognizable swan logo on the obverse. The reverse features a pattern of a leaping kangaroo. The Perth Mint’s gold bars include a 1 oz Perth Mint Gold Cast Bar and a 100g Perth Mint Gold Bar.

Buy bullion products from the Perth Mint

As one of the most highly-regarded mints in the world, products from the Perth Mint offer high liquidity and international recognition as well as intrinsic value. Their bullion coin collection is known for its high purity as well as collectible value, and their gold bars offer an excellent way to invest in physical gold. Whatever it is you’re looking for, you’ll find a wide range of Perth Mint bullion products here at StoneX Bullion.

We’re one of Europe’s leading precious metals companies and a proud member of the London Bullion Market Association (LBMA). Extremely dedicated to good trading practices and stocking high-quality products from the world’s most trusted mints, we offer easy entry into the world of gold and silver investments as well as other precious metals. Browse our range now and make an enduring investment that will last a lifetime.