1 oz Australian Kookaburra 2018 silver coin

History

The Silver Kookaburra coin depicts Australia’s famous Kookaburra bird 

The “Kook” or Kookaburra is a bird native to Australia and, depending on the species (in total they are four), they grow to 25 to 45 cm in length and are most commonly found in humid woodlands or dry savannas. Originally, the name of the kookaburra is derived from an indigenous Australian language in which it is referred to as the “guuguubarra”. What makes the bird so charming is its unique call, which sounds like a combination of laughter and a series of long rolling “rs”.

The Australian Silver Kookaburra coin mintage is only 500,000 pieces per year 

The reason for being a favourite with two different types of investors is that the value and future price appreciation of Kookaburra coins are determined by a combination of factors. In contrast to the Austrian Philharmonics, Canadian Maple Leafs, American Eagles and other well-known legal tender silver coins, Australian Silver Kookaburra one-ounce coins have an annual predetermined maximum mintage limit. In fact, from 1990, when the first coins were issued, the maximum mintage was set at only 300,000 pieces per year, a number that would stay the same until 2011.

The Silver Kookaburra is also one of the few legal tender silver coins to vary each year its main motif, the kookaburra bird. Many collectors cherish the changing motif, and likewise appreciate the excellent mint quality of the coin, the rich level of detail, and the silvery sparkle diffracted by the coin’s shiny and mat surfaces. The Silver Kookaburra coin will certainly catch the eye of anyone who admires precious artwork. All these facts contribute to making older issues of Silver Kookaburras gain value in the secondary market well above the melt value of the contained silver, a trend that is likely to continue. Testimony of the coin’s popularity is the extraordinary demand over many years which led the Perth Mint in 2011 to increase the maximum mintage limit to 500,000 pieces per year, where it has stayed ever since. But even with the larger supply, unabated demand for the Silver Kookaburra coin has caused every issue of the one-ounce coin since 2008 to be sold out. 

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 disturbed 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.