Silver Coin Commerce™

General Coin Information

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

This Australian Investment Coin has been  issued by the Perth Mint since 2007. The reverse shows the motive of a Koala bear, which is changed on a yearly basis. The other side of the coin depicts a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, as is common practice with coins of the Commonwealth. The Perth Mint has been minting the koala coin in ½ ounce(oz), 10oz and 1kg sizes since 2008. This coin is also available in gold, specifically for coin collectors. However, the gold coin cannot be considered as a classical investment coin, due to the fact that it only appears in small editions with limited numbers of copies and a relatively high premium on the original material value.

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

ArminVoigt                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Via ProBlogPartners™       

Reference:

worldmintcoins.com

The Canadian Silver Maple Leaf is a silver bullion coin issued annually by the government of Canada. The coin has been minted by the Royal Canadian Mint (RMC) since 1988.

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: