Minted by the Australian Perth Mint, the Kookaburra is the only major silver bullion coin to change its design yearly.  The altering of its form and pattern every year is intended to help compete with other mints worldwide by attracting collectors as well as investors. These coins have a superior quality finish which incorporates delicate, proof-like frosting within the central design. Kookaburra silver coins are legal tender under the Australian Currency Act 1965.

Kookaburras are a bird known to many, not by its appearance, but by its call. Native to Australia, the Kookaburra’s call has been used many times in the movies and televisions. It sounds extremely similar to loud human laughter and is used mainly to greet its mate after being apart for any reason. It is the world’s largest Kingfisher, with a body length of up to ½ meter. They are also known as “laughing jackasses” due to their chattering calls. They form community groups within Eastern and Southern Australia, marking and defending their territory both with their calls and with force, if necessary. 

The Kookaburra is carnivorous and survives on a diet of mostly small mice. However, it is also known to eat other small creatures like snakes, lizards and sometimes other small birds.

First introduced in 1990 by the Perth Mint, the Kookaburra silver coin has proved successful for two decades, its purity and weight are guaranteed.

It is issued in four popular sizes, 1oz., 2oz., 10oz. and kilo (32.15 troy oz. – the worlds largest silver bullion coin) through the Perth Mint. Many variations exist with extra stamps or seals issued for special occasions & coin shows.

Obverse Design

The obverse contains an image of Queen Elizabeth II along with the inscriptions “Queen Elizabeth II”, “Australia”, “year minted” and “1 Dollar” ( “1″ changes based on the size.)

Reverse Design

The reverse design incorporates an image of the Kookaburra. Encircling the bird around the top of the coin is the inscription “”The Australian Kookaburra.” Underneath the Kookaburra are “1 oz” ( “1 oz” changes based on the size), “999 Silver” and “year minted”.

Australian Kookaburra Silver Coin Specifications

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References:

• worldmintcoins.com
• apmex.com

The dollar (often represented by the dollar sign: “$”) is the name of the official currency in several economies, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the Eastern Caribbean territories, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Brunei, East Timor, Ecuador, Suriname, El Salvador, Panama, and Belize.

The “Dollar” originated in the city of Joachimsthal in Bavaria (now Germany). Beginning in 1518, silver from the mines near Joachimsthal was minted into silver “thalers”, with a standardized weight of 29.2 grams. “Thal” means “valley” in German, therefore a “thaler” is a person or a thing “from the valley”.

Eventually, governments throughout Europe adopted this standardized coin for commerce. The silver came from many locations, and many different governments produced the coins, but they were all basically identical. Europe was on a “Dollar standard”…

European “thaler” coins from the 16th-18th centuries are shown above with a modern US quarter for comparison.

The Spanish silver Dollar emerged from the rich mines of the Spanish colonies of the New World, particularly Mexico. The Spanish Dollar became the most common coin in the American colonies, although silver dollars from throughout Europe also circulated.

In 1792, after the American Revolution, Congress adopted the European “thaler” or dollar as the standard in the new United States. They were following standard practice throughout Europe. The US Dollar was just a bit lighter than the original thaler, at 27.0 grams of silver.

In those days, gold and silver traded at a ratio that hardly varied over centuries. It was known as a “bimetallic” system. About 15 or 16 ounces of silver had the same value as an ounce of gold. Thus, the silver “thaler” system was also, in a sense, a gold system.

In time, gold became the central monetary basis rather than silver. Britain went to a “monometallic” (gold-only) system in 1816. The United States effectively put gold on top in 1834, although British-style monometallism was not wholly adopted until 1900. The Coinage Act of 1834 set the value of the US Dollar at $20.67/ounce of gold, or 1/20.67th of an ounce. This works out to 1.5048 grams of gold.

Thus, we see that the “dollar” as roughly 1.5048 grams of gold, or $20.67/ounce, has a history that dates back to the early 16th century and encompassed all of Europe. The “dollar” was an unchanging unit of account for 415 years, until 1933.

During this time, there were many experiments with floating, paper currencies. The US colonies had a wave of hyperinflation in the 1740s, and again in the 1780s. There was another round of currency devaluation during the Civil War. However, after the smoke cleared, they returned again and again to the stable gold Dollar.

Devaluation of the US Dollar took place during the Great Depression. In 1933, the Dollar’s value was reduced to $35 per ounce, or 1/35th an ounce of gold (0.8887 grams). The introduction of floating currencies in 1971 was then something of an accident. It was an unplanned consequence of Richard Nixon’s “easy money” policies of 1970. It was supposed to be temporary. As we can see now, however, it was one of the biggest changes to Western civilization in the past 500 years.

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References:

• Wikipedia.com
• goldnews.bullionvault.com

The Silver Koala can easily be confused with the Australian platinum investment coin, which has been wearing a koala motive from 1988 till 2000.

The silver koala coin is a legal means of payment in Australia. However, the material value is by far higher than the nominal value indicated.

General Coin Information

The 2010 Australian Koala Silver Coin marks the fourth issue of this popular series. The coins are struck in four sizes – 1 kilo, 10 oz, 1 oz, and 1/2 oz, with the 1 kilo size bearing a slightly different design. These collectible coins are struck on a mint to order basis, and total production will be determined when the 2011 design is announced, thus closing the 2010 offering.

The koala, native to Australia, is practically an icon synonymous with the country. Probably the only other animal to claim the same distinction would be the kangaroo, a fellow marsupial.

Living almost entirely on a diet of eucalypt leaves, the koala’s habitat is restricted to areas of Australia capable of growing the trees.

Koalas were hunted almost to extinction in the early 20th century for their fur, but their numbers have grown steadily under the protection of the government.

Some key points for the coins include their government assurance of weight and purity, their Australian legal tender status, limited mintages, versatile sizes and new annual reverse designs.

Obverse Design

An image of Queen Elizabeth II is shown on the obverse along with the inscriptions “Queen Elizabeth II”, “Australia”, “2010″ and the denomination.

Reverse Designs

The reverse features a young koala on a tree branch eating gum leaves. Also present are the inscriptions of the weight, “999 Silver” and the Perth Mint’s historic ‘P’ mintmark.

Australian Koala Silver Coin Specifications

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Reference:

worldmintcoins.com

These commemorative coins are legal tender only in Austria, unlike the normal issues of the Austrian euro coins, which are legal tender in every country of the Eurozone. This means that the commemorative coins made of gold and silver cannot be used as money in other countries. Furthermore, as their bullion value generally vastly exceeds their face value, these coins are not intended to be used as means of payment at all—although this remains possible where they are also legal tender. For this reason, they are usually named Collectors’ coins.

Such coins usually commemorate the anniversaries of historical events. They can also draw attention to current events of special importance. Austria mints more than ten of these coins on average per year, in gold, silver and niobium, with face values ranging from €1.50 to €100 (though, as an exceptional case, 15 coins with face value €100,000 were minted in 2004).

Summary

As of  2008, eighty variations of Austrian commemorative coins had been minted: eleven in 2002, twelve in 2003, fourteen in 2004, thirteen in 2005, thirteen in 2006, nine in 2007 and eleven in 2008. These special high-value commemorative coins are not to be confused with €2 commemorative coins, which are coins designated for circulation and have legal-tender status in all countries of the Eurozone.

The Vienna Philharmonic coin is struck in pure gold, 999.9 fine (24 karats). It is issued every year, in four different face values, sizes and weights. It is used as an investment product (bullion coin), although it inevitably ends up in private collections. According to the World Gold Council, it was the best-selling gold coin worldwide in 1992, 1995 and 1996.

A design of musical instruments representing the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the text Wiener Philharmoniker (“Vienna Philharmonic”), can be seen on the reverse of the coin.

The subject of the obverse is the great organ in the Golden Hall in Vienna’s Musikverein, the concert hall of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. The face value in euros, the weight, alloy purity and year of issue are also inscribed on this side of the coin.

Since 1 February 2008, the coin has also been minted in silver. The design of the silver coin is identical to that of the gold coin, except for its face value of 1.50 euro.

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References

1. Austrian Mint. http://austrian-mint.at/cms/start.php

There is also a Gold Panda series issued featuring the same designs as the silver Panda coins.

History

The first silver Panda coins—issued in 1983, 1984 and 1985—were Proof quality, with a precious metal content of 27 gm. of .900 fine silver, and a diameter of 38.6 mm. Mintages were only 10,000 for each year. No silver Pandas were issued in 1986. The 1987 silver Panda coins were minted in Proof quality from 1 troy oz. of sterling (.925 fine) silver, with a diameter of 40 mm. There are several mints that produced silver Panda coins over the years, including but not limited to: Shenzhen, Shanghai and Shenyang. Unlike coins made by US mints that carry mintmarks to distinguish their origin, Chinese mints generally do not carry mintmarks. In certain years there are minor variations in the coin design—such as the size of the date, temple, etc.–that allow the originating mint to be determined. An example is 1996 where different mints produced coins with minor variations in the font size of the date on the obverse side of the coins.

Obverse

Depiction of the Temple of Heaven in the center with Chinese characters on top saying “中華人民共和國” meaning People’s Republic of China and the bottom the year of issue. If the issue is a commemorative issue, the theme will be marked here also.

Reverse

Different portraits of panda that changes every year (except for 2001 and 2002, which share the same design).

There are many varieties on the types of coins issued as follows:

1. Uncirculated
2. Proof
3. Gold Plated / Gilded (either side or both)
4. Colored (only obverse side known)
5. Privy marked for different distribution such as 2001 D (for domestic market)
6. Privy marked for commemorative issue, which can also be gold plated

 The official distributor in China for the silver and gold Panda coins is the China Gold Coin Corporation (CGCC), and since 1982 Panda America has been an official distributor in the United States.

In 2006, a flood of counterfeit 1-ounce silver pandas came onto the market, and were frequently encountered on eBay through sellers located in China, both BU and proof versions. Many of these were easily distinguishable from the real thing by the lack of a denomination, which all authentic legal tender silver Panda coins have. Although these counterfeits did not contain a significant amount of silver, they were marked with ’1 oz Ag .999′. Also, some do include the denomination, and are difficult to distinguish from a real one without weighing them, or comparing them to a known genuine coin.

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Reference: 

Krause, Chester L. and Clifford Mishler. 2005 Standard Catalog of World Coins: 1901–Present (32nd ed. ed.). Krause Publications.

Design

The design features, the Independence Angel against a backdrop of the “Lovers’ Peaks” twin volcanoes, Iztacc’huatl and Popocat’ptl. The volcanoes symbolize a prince and princess from two different Indian tribes, who fell in love but were later exiled. Also featured in the design are the fineness and amount of silver, the date, and the name of the issuing country, ‘Mexico’.  The center of the coin on the obverse features an eagle perched on a cactus holding a snake in its beak, surrounded by a wreath and the words ‘Estados Unidos Mexicanos’. Laid out around the circumference are different versions of this emblem.   

Minted by the Mexican Mint, the Mexican Libertad Onza became the first silver bullion coin to be minted in one ounce sizes. Originally called Onza, these Libertad Onza coins are legal tender, although no face value is displayed. The reverse image of the Angel of Independence is based loosely after the 50 Peso’s Winged Liberty.  

Obverse Design       

The obverse or heads side of the coin features an eagle battling a snake (Mexico’s national coat of arms), which is surrounded by a wreath and the words “ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICANOS”. Encircling the center are ten eagle designs that have been used as National Emblems through the centuries, including one depicted in the 16th century Mendocino Codex.         

Libertad_Obverse

Reverse Design     Since 1996, the reverse or tails side of the coin features the famed winged angel design. The angel towers above a background of the volcanoes Popocatépetl and Iztaccihuatl.
Inscription surrounding the top include the numerical size following by “ONZA” for “ounce”, then “PLATA PURA” for “pure silver”, the year of issue, “LEY” and “.999″.       

Libertad_Reverse

General Coin Information

Mexican Libertad Silver Bullion Coins are struck annually for investors and collectors and were first minted in 1982. A beautiful winged angel design has been portrayed on the coin since its inception, but a re-design occurred in 1996 to “make it more attractive,” the Mexican Mint said. That design, which is still used today, depicts the spectacular Angel of Independence — an eight ton golden statue on top of a tall slender column in Mexico City.  The Mexican Libertad Silver Coin is Mexico’s treasure coin and is minted at Casa de Moneda de Mexico, which was established in 1536 and is the oldest mint in North America. These magnificent coins are struck in .999 fine silver and the proof editions are struck in very small quantities.  The one-ounce Libertad Silver Coin is deservedly popular with collectors and investors alike.       

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 References: 

• Information about Libertad Silver Series at Banco de México’s Web Page.
• worldmintcoins.com    

The face value of the 1 oz coin is 5 Canadian dollars, the highest among international silver bullion coins. The current market value of the coin is approximately 20 Canadian dollars. The purity of the coin is 99.99% silver, also the highest among other bullion issues which have a 99.90% standard.

The coin generally always features a maple leaf and generally consists of 1 troy ounce (31.1 g) of silver. Annual variations for the coin in past have included proof releases (1989 only), privy marks, a coloured maple leaf (with a design different from the regular maple leaf), holographic enhancements and several differing designs, such as a 2009 issue commemorating the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The one universal element in all silver maple leaf coins is the phrase “Fine Silver 1 oz Argent Pur” along the bottom of the obverse of the coin.

Several notable issues have been released over the life of the series. A single-issue 10 oz version was produced in 1998 to mark the 10th anniversary of the coin series. In 1999, all Silver Maple Leaf coins that were issued came with a privy mark to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the RCM Maple Leaf Program. The following year, the coins featured a Privy Mark with Fireworks and the number 2000. Another Silver Maple Leaf was issued to commemorate the Millennium. The coins were double dated 1999 and 2000.

Silver Maple Leafs differ from their Canadian Gold and Platinum Maple Leaf counterparts in that collector demand generates prices well above and beyond bullion value. In particular, the 1996 and 1997 versions fetched very high prices due to limited mintages (for example, in 1997 just under 101,000 Maple Leafs were minted, in comparison with more than 1.2 million minted in 1999).

Some of the privy marked Maple Leafs were available only in Europe. For the first time in 2009, the Silver Maple Leaf coins were not packaged in Mylar by the Royal Canadian Mint. Due to the high demand, the Silver Maple Leaf was packaged in tubes of 25.

Obverse: The effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. There are three different versions, a young head version, an old head version, and an older head version. The year of issue and the face value of 5 dollars is also displayed on this side.

Reverse: Picture of a maple leaf. On some variations there are also a small privy mark on the lower half of the coin or colour enhancement.

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References:

Designed by Anthony de Francisci, the Peace Dollar was so named because the word PEACE appears on the bottom of the coin’s reverse. It contains 0.77344 troy ounces of silver, and was the successor to the Morgan Dollar, which had not been regularly minted since 1904. With the passage of the Pittman Act in 1918, the mintage of dollar coins was enabled to start again. Prior to the design and acceptance of the Peace Dollar, the Morgan Dollar was minted again for one more year in 1921. 

After a six-year pause in minting, the Peace Dollar was again minted in 1934 and 1935. It was minted briefly in 1965 (dated 1964), but no examples of this issue were ever released to the public and the entire mintage was supposed to have been melted. The Peace Dollar is the last silver dollar minted for circulation in the United States. 

History

The biggest hurdle faced by proponents of the new coin was that no dollar coin had been minted for general circulation in the United States since 1904, the last year of the Morgan Dollar series. The demand for silver dollars was so low that vast quantities of Morgans were still sitting in bank vaults. That hurdle was overcome with the passage of the Pittman Act on April 23, 1918. Sponsored by Nevada Senator Key Pittman, the Pittman Act allowed the US government to melt as many as 350 million silver dollars, and then either sell the bullion or use it to produce subsidiary silver coinage. Additionally, the law required the government to mint replacement dollars for any that were melted, with domestically purchased silver. 

Production of the Peace Dollar commenced on December 21, 1921, and it was placed into circulation on January 3, 1922.  That same day, President Harding was presented with the first Peace Dollar. Roughly one million examples were struck before it was realized that the relief on the coin was so high that it was difficult to strike, and the dies used were breaking at a high rate. Also, the coins were nearly impossible to stack. The relief was lowered considerably starting with the 1922 issue.  That year more than 84 million Peace Dollars were struck, the highest mintage of the series. 

After the Peace Dollar, production of dollar coinage did not resume until the Eisenhower Dollar in 1971. That coin, however, has no silver content, except for some sold directly to collectors by the Mint. Likewise, the Susan B. Anthony, Sacagawea dollars, and Presidential dollars that have been minted since the Eisenhower dollar contain no silver, making the Peace Dollar the last true silver dollar struck for circulation.

Design

Anthony de Francisci’s design featured his rendition of Lady Liberty on the obverse. His wife, Teresa, was the model for the sculpture.  The font used is an example of the then-popular Art Deco style. This is exemplified by the inscription, “IN GOD WE TRVST,” which uses the Latin angular “U”. 

The original design for the coin’s reverse featured a Bald Eagle holding (or standing on) a broken sword, symbolizing peace. This design was interpreted as one of defeat, rather than peace, so Chief Engraver Morgan altered the design to replace the sword with an olive branch (itself a symbol of peace).  The eagle is perched on a rock, facing a group of the sun’s rays. 

The design of the Peace Dollar drew considerable criticism upon its release. A few of the elements of de Francisci’s design that drew negative commentary were the open-mouthed Lady Liberty and the Latinized spelling of “trust.” The negative response was sufficient enough that the US Mint issued a statement on February 9, 1922, stating that the coin would not be withdrawn.  In recent years, however, coin collectors have come to view the Peace Dollar as an attractive and desirable coin. 

Mints

Mintmarks appear underneath the word ‘One’ on the reverse, and include: 

• no mark (Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
• D (Denver Mint in Denver, Colorado)
• S (San Francisco Mint in San Francisco, California)

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References

Marotta, Michael E. “The Peace Dollar”.

Reiter, Ed. “The Lady on the Dollar”.

Yeoman, R.S., A Guide Book of United States Coins

HISTORY

The Comstock Lode, one of the greatest silver strikes in history, was discovered in Nevada in the late 1850s. The strike put downward pressure on silver prices worldwide. In 1878 Congress passed the Bland-Allison Act which required the Treasury Department to purchase large amounts of silver, and to strike it as coins. For reasons of economy, the Treasury chose to strike the silver as dollars.

When the dollar was minted in 1878, it was the first dollar issued for American commercial use since the last Seated Liberty Dollar of 1873. The Trade Dollar was minted during this time period but was intended to be used for trade in the Orient. The dollar was continuously minted until 1904 when the supply of dollars in circulation was high and there was an absence of silver bullion. Then in 1918, the Pittman Act called for over 270 million coins to be melted for silver content. In 1921, the coinage of the Morgan Dollar resumed for that year and was replaced by the Peace Dollar commemorative that would become standard issue. Since 1921, many Morgan Dollars have been melted. Melting has mostly occurred when silver prices escalated because these dollars yield silver bullion.

Caches of Morgan Dollars produced at the Carson City Mint were discovered and were sold to coin collectors by the federal government in the early 1970s. Many of these dollars were uncirculated and are called GSAs (named after the General Services Administration) and come in black plastic holders that mimic the holders used for proof silver Eisenhower dollars of the period. These have become collectible items within the GSA encapsulation.

MINTS

Mint marks appear underneath the tail feathers of the bald eagle on the reverse between the letters “D” and “O” in “DOLLAR”. Mint marks include:

• CC (Carson City Mint in Carson City, Nevada)
• D (Denver Mint in Denver, Colorado)
• O (New Orleans Mint in New Orleans, Louisiana)
• S (San Francisco Mint in San Francisco, California)

Note that the absence of a mint mark is indicative of a coin minted at the Philadelphia Mint in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Grading Morgan Dollars

VF20 Very Fine: Two-thirds of hairlines from top of forehead to ear must show. Ear well defined. Feathers on eagle’s breast worn.

EF40 Extremely Fine: All hairlines strong and ear bold. Eagle’s feathers all plain but slight wear on breast and wing tips.

AU50 About Uncirculated: Slight trace of wear on the bust shoulder and hair left of forehead and also on the breast and top edges of wings.

MS60 Uncirculated: No trace of wear. Has full mint luster but may be noticeably marred by scuff marks or bag abrasions.

MS63 Select Uncirculated: No trace of wear, full mint luster, few noticeable surface marks.

MS64 Uncirculated: Shows a few scattered contact marks. Good eye appeal and attractive luster.

MS65 Choice Uncirculated: Only light scattered contact marks that are not distracting. Strong luster, good eye appeal.

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