The Silver Koala Bear is a
silver
Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...
coin originating from
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and produced at the
Perth Mint
The Perth Mint is Australia's official bullion mint and wholly owned by the Government of Western Australia. Established on 20 June 1899, two years before Australia's Federation in 1901, the Perth Mint was the last of three Australian colonia ...
. While the obverse of the coin always depicts Queen
Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
of Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, the reverse side changes every year, always featuring a
koala
The koala (''Phascolarctos cinereus''), sometimes inaccurately called the koala bear, is an arboreal herbivorous marsupial native to Australia. It is the only Extant taxon, extant representative of the Family (biology), family ''Phascolar ...
, a
marsupial
Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a r ...
native to Australia.
The mint updates the monarch's portrait on obverse of the coin periodically. For example, Queen Elizabeth II has six portraits made in the course of her reign. However, only the fourth and sixth portraits were used on silver koalas.
Silver koalas have higher collectible value than some other bullion coins due to the yearly design change and limited production. The coins are minted yearly in up to five different sizes.
Specifications
† This is the maximum thickness. Thicknesses are different based upon the yearly design of the reverse side.
History
In its first year of 2007, only the one-ounce bullion coin was minted. All other sizes were minted in 2008, except for the oz, which started to be produced in 2011. Between 2008 and 2010, the only
numismatic
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, medals, and related objects.
Specialists, known as numismatists, are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, but the discipline also inclu ...
or proof coinage minted was the one-ounce with
gilded
Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...
koalas. As of 2020, bullion coins are currently released in 1 kg and 1 oz sizes and the numismatic coinage is minted in 5 oz and 1 oz sizes, with other sizes released occasionally. The coins were .999
fine silver
The fineness of a precious metal object (coin, bar, jewelry, etc.) represents the weight of ''fine metal'' therein, in proportion to the total weight which includes alloying base metals and any impurities. Alloy metals are added to increase hardn ...
until the 2018 edition, which increased in purity to .9999 silver. Perth Mint originally had no caps on the amount of one-ounce coins produced, but since 2018, it has been capped to 300,000.
Special editions such as
privy mark
A privy mark was originally a small mark or differentiation in the design of a coin for the purpose of identifying the mint (coin), mint, moneyer, some other aspect of the coin's origin, or to prevent Coin counterfeiting, counterfeiting. One of t ...
ed, colored and
gilded
Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was tradi ...
are often available.
See also
*
Australian Silver Kangaroo (bullion)
*
Australian Silver Kookaburra
The Silver Kookaburra is a silver bullion coin originating from Australia, and produced at the Perth Mint starting in 1990. The coins were .999 fine silver until the 2018 edition, which increased in purity to .9999 silver. While the obverse of ...
*
Bullion
Bullion is non-ferrous metal that has been refined to a high standard of elemental purity. The term is ordinarily applied to bulk metal used in the production of coins and especially to precious metals such as gold and silver. It comes from ...
*
Bullion coin
A bullion coin (also known as a specie) is a coin struck from highly refined precious metal (bullion) and kept as a store of value or an investment rather than used in day-to-day commerce, or collectable, with numismatic value beyond that of its ...
*
Inflation hedge
An inflation hedge is an investment intended to protect the investor against— hedge—a decrease in the purchasing power of money—inflation. There is no investment known to be a successful hedge in all inflationary environments, just as there i ...
*
Platinum Koala
*
Silver as an investment
Silver may be used as an investment like other precious metals. It has been regarded as a form of money and store of value for more than 4,000 years, although it lost its role as legal tender in developed country, developed countries when the use ...
References
; General
* ''2020 Standard Catalog of World Coins - 1901–2000'', 47th Edition, publication date 2019, Krause Publications,
* ''2020 Standard Catalog of World Coins - 2001–Date'', 14th Edition, publication date 2019, Krause Publications,
;Specific
{{reflist
Bullion coins of Australia
Silver bullion coins