1 oz Silver Coin Australian Kangaroo

History

Australian Kangaroo

Kangaroos are only found in Australia, these unique animals have gait and movement unlike any other animal in the world. The red kangaroo, depicted on the coin, is the largest of all kangaroos, the largest terrestrial mammal native to Australia, and the largest extant marsupial. They hop across Australia on large, powerful legs, and use an oversized, muscular tail to help balance their bodies. They are found across mainland Australia, avoiding only the more fertile areas in the south, the east coast, and the northern rainforests.

Kangaroos were first depicted on the coin in 1989 when the Perth Mint released their Gold Nugget coin in new design and changed its name to Kangaroo. Besides being depicted on the Australian Kangaroo coins, the kangaroo appears as an emblem on Australia’s coats of arms. In fact, the kangaroo is deemed to be the unofficial symbol of Australia. In 2016 the Perth Mint launched Australian Silver Kangaroo bullion coin, until then all silver coins depicting kangaroos were proof coins with limited edition. 

The design for this brand-new coin from Australia’s Perth Mint was a closely guarded secret that was only revealed to the public at the World Fair of Money. This coin was set to rival the American Silver Eagle’s dominance of the precious metals coin market. Unlike other Australian silver coins (Kookaburra, Koala, Lunar) the silver Kangaroo has the same design annually and its volume of production is not limited.

The Perth Mint is a world distinguished mint and precious metals refiner that is located in the City of Perth, in Western Australia. The Perth Mint was founded in 1896 by Britain’s Royal Mint in response to the newly discovered gold deposits in Western Australia. Perth Mint’s task was to refine gold ore from the mines and to strike sovereign gold coins from the refined bullion. Between 1899 and 1931 the Pert Mint produced  a considerable amount of gold sovereigns which were distributed in Australia  and throughout the British Empire to be used as circulating currency. British control over Perth Mint was relinquished in 1971 to the Government of Western Australia which then assumed ownership of  the  mint.  Today,  the  Perth  Mint  is  hailed  for  the exceptional  quality  of  its  world  class investment bullion coins like the Kookaburra and Koala silver coins, and the Lunar Series. The Perth Mint has been a member of the London Gold Market (predecessor of the LBMA) since 1934. The swan design, which is the Mint’s official assay stamp registered with the LBMA, is recognised internationally and was inspired by the Mint’s location in Perth, where the main river, the Swan, runs through the city.