Founded in 1899 as a branch of the Royal Mint in Australia, the Perth Mint is now Australia’s oldest operating mint. A global leader in gold and silver bullion production, the Perth Mint also has an excellent track record in the production of platinum bullion. In fact, two of its platinum coins are among the oldest series in the precious metals market. Learn more about the platinum coins issued by Perth Mint.
In 1987, Australia authorized the release of some of the world’s first-ever platinum bullion coins. One of those two coins was the Australian Platypus Platinum Coin. This coin features a static image of the platypus on the reverse side, with the reigning British monarch depicted on the obverse of each coin. This collection remains in production in the 21st century.
Also introduced in 1987, the Australian Koala Platinum Coin is often credited as the first of the two to debut. Regardless of release timing, the Australian Koala Platinum Coin and the Australian Platypus Platinum Coins represented the first-ever platinum bullion coins from a major global mint when the coins debuted.
Australian Koala Coins feature one of the nation’s most beloved marsupials on the reverse side, with the British monarch depicted on the obverse. Unlike the Platypus Coin, the Koala Coin has new images of the native creature on the reverse.
Introduced in 2018, the Australian Kangaroo Platinum Coin is one of the newest platinum bullion coins from Perth Mint. The coin shares the same design elements as the Australian Kangaroo Silver bullion series, a collection that itself debuted in 2016. Unlike other collections with native animals, the Kangaroo Platinum Coin features the same reverse image of the kangaroo each year, with the reigning monarch on the obverse.
After issuing Lunar Series coins as far back as 1996, the first platinum coin in this collection debuted in 2020 when Perth Mint launched Lunar Series III. Unlike other collections of Perth Mint platinum, this series has a new reverse design each year featuring a completely different animal. The series follows a 12-year cycle honoring each of the animals in the Zodiac from the Year of the Mouse in year one to the Year of the Pig in year twelve.
The obverse field of annual bullion coin programs from the Perth Mint displays the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. However, as of 2024, these coins will feature the new portrait of King Charles III. This image was designed by Dan Thorne.
If you have any questions about platinum coins, Provident Metals is happy to help. Please call us at 800-313-3315, chat with us online, or send us an email with your inquiries.