April 2013 New Product Bulletin – out today

 Posted by  Catalogue, Gold, Silver
Apr 022013
 

Once again our designers have captured the essence of Australia for a range of stunning new coins available in April;

• The Australian Map Shaped series is back with a great portrayal of a kangaroo in a coastal scene representing Picnic Rocks, Tasmania.
• the second release from The Land Down Under series of iconic coins depicts a didgeridoo player in a dramatically coloured bush location;
• it’s the turn of an infant platypus on the ever-so-cute Australian Bush Babies series;
• and two classic additions see the Australia Koala available as a coloured 1oz coin and a breathtaking 1 kilo proof coin.

April’s new releases also include an astounding rarity for collectors of Royal commemoratives. Included in our tributes marking the 175th anniversary of Queen Victoria’s coronation is a spectacular 2oz pure gold proof coin with a maximum mintage of just 150.

Flick through the electronic bulletin for more details of these and other new issues from Deadly and Dangerous, and Mythical Creatures, or visit the recent releases section on our website.

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Canadian collector crafts unique coin display

 Posted by  Silver
Aug 222012
 

Many thanks to the avid collector who sent us this picture from Alberta in Canada of his own hand-crafted Map-Shaped coin display. Being so distant from Australia, it was a bit of a problem finding a seven-pointed Commonwealth Star and our collector is still looking for a pin featuring the Australian flag. Even so, we think it’s a fantastic result which will present the first four Map-Shaped releases to perfection!

Anyone else created an interesting display of Perth Mint coins? Send us your photos for the blog!

Ten facts about Australia’s amazing emu

 Posted by  Silver
Aug 072012
 

On the day our Australian Map Shaped Coin Series – Emu 2012 1oz Silver Coin is launched, here are ten emu facts we hope you find fascinating.

  • The emu is the largest bird inhabiting the Australian continent.
  • One species exists today, although prior to European colonisation three other species occurred: the Tasmanian emu, the King Island emu and the Kangaroo Island emu.
  • The name emu is thought to be derived from an Arabic word for ‘large bird’ and later adopted by early Portuguese explorers.
  • The emu is part of a group known as ratites, which includes the Australian cassowary, from which it may have evolved.

  • Like other ratites, the emu has a ‘keelless’ breastbone and is therefore missing the part needed to anchor powerful flight muscles.
  • The flightless bird’s long legs are extremely strong and fast, allowing it to sprint at over 30 miles per hour.
  • With no teeth emus swallow large pebbles to help their stomach grind up food.
  • The emu and the kangaroo were chosen for our Coat of Arms as they are the only two Australian animals that can’t move backwards.
  • An emu egg can weigh about the same as 12 chicken eggs.
  • Emu egg shells have multiple layers ranging from an inner white layer through to a green outer layer, which led to Kalti Paarti – the art of carving emu eggs (see astonishing examples here).

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August 2012 New Product Bulletin – out today

 Posted by  Base Metal, Catalogue, Gold, Silver
Aug 072012
 

Highly anticipated additions to the Australian Map-Shaped Coin Series and Australian Opal Coin Series make their appearance in this month’s Bulletin. With several other superb collector releases, including the first colourised Australian Outback Silver Coin Collection, this is an issue not to miss!


 Go straight to new releases on our website.

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Sold Out: Hot silver coins sell their full mintage

 Posted by  Silver, Sold Out
Jul 242012
 

The following coin releases are sold out at The Perth Mint.


Australian Map Shaped Series – Kookaburra 2012 1oz Silver Coin
Full mintage: 6,000 sold out

 


Brisbane ANDA Coin Show Special
2012 Year of the Dragon 1oz Silver Coin
Full mintage: 5,000 sold out


Selling Fast

Emperor Penguin 2012 1oz Silver Proof Coin
The ninth release from the Australian Antarctic Territory series celebrates Emperor Penguins. Less than a month after release, sales have topped 5,000 out of a maximum mintage of 7,500 coins.

Charting Australia’s Map Shaped Coin Success

 Posted by  Silver
Jun 142012
 

The rapid rate at which collectors have snapped up our retail allocation of Australian Map Shaped Kookaburra coins is an encouraging sign that it’s well on the way to a sell out.

The 1oz silver proof coin is the first in a new series featuring native Australian animals. We’re planning to issue two coins per year, with the second 2012-dated coin portraying an Emu due in October.

The map-shaped concept was pioneered by The Perth Mint in conjunction with coin dealer Downies. The very limited number of examples released to date, however, provides collectors with a great opportunity to get in at the ground floor with this genre.

The first-ever Australian map shaped silver coins were issued in 2002 to mark the bicentenary of Matthew Flinders’ circumnavigation of Terra Australis. Issued as legal tender of Uganda, the four-coin set included colour designs celebrating Flinders’ ship, HMS Investigator, and his historic meeting with French explorer Nicolas Baudin at Encounter Bay in April 1802.

The following year saw the release of a Tuvalu four-coin set, this time in honour of Australian pioneers of aviation including Charles Kingsford Smith, Charles Ulm, Bert Hinkler and Rev John Flynn’s Royal Flying Doctor Service.

A revived version of the map-shaped coin concept made by The Perth Mint in 2010 was a surprise success that pointed to further potential interest among collectors. Designed as a ‘display’ piece for the Shanghai World Expo, the majority of the 30,000 Australian legal tender coins were sold in China under an exclusive distribution agreement.

The Perth Mint secured 1,000 Shanghai coins for sale to retail customers at home. The coin’s subsequent quick sell out encouraged our plans for a future series, which has now commenced with the Kookaburra release from the native animal program.

NB: The Australian Map Shaped Kookaburra coin is near to sell out and unavailable from The Perth Mint website. Please check with Australia Post or your local Perth Mint dealer for remaining availability.

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