Australian Gold Kangaroos
The Australian Gold Kangaroo coin is a 1-troy-ounce gold coin. These collectible gold coins change every year to feature a different depiction of a kangaroo, the iconic Australian animal. It’s a government-backed coin and is the official Australian currency. Coin collectors and people around the world who love wildlife collect this 1-ounce gold coin both for its novelty and its monetary value. While the Australian Nugget/Kangaroo Gold Bullion Coin series features a wide variety of coin options, the 1-ounce Gold Kangaroo coin is by far the most popular option for the world’s community of gold bullion coin collectors.
This iconic coin series represents Australia’s history as a mining country with domestic gold resources. It is one of two popular gold coin series minted by Perth Mint, the other being Lunar Gold Bullion coins.
History
Australian Gold Kangaroo coins first became available in 1987. They were initially created by the Australian government-owned organization, Gold Corporation, and the coin has been released by the same entity, also known as Perth Mint, ever since. The Perth Mint was first established as a branch of the London Royal Mint in 1899 and is the country’s oldest operational mint [1]. The first Australian Gold Kangaroo coins featured a gold nugget on the back to commemorate Australia’s mining history. However, in 1989, the design changed to showcase a kangaroo. The coin’s design changes every year to depict a different kangaroo.
Two years later, Gold Corporation extended the series of collectible coins to include 2-ounce, 10-ounce, and even 1-kilogram coins. These coins are more novel and, because they’re less popular, don’t have an annual design change; each one features the same red kangaroo design. In 2011, Gold Corporation extended the series again with a 1-ton Australian Gold Kangaroo Coin, which has a face value of $1,000,000 AUD.
Since 2008 and its global financial crisis, there has been an increase in the number of gold collectors investing in these gold bullion coins.
Denominations
The Australian Kangaroo 1-ounce gold coin is backed by the Australian government for a value of $100 AUD. It’s considered legal tender throughout the country. While the value is backed by the government, its value is also due to each coin holding 1 troy ounce of 99.99% gold. As the value of gold rises, so will the face value of each coin. Along with currency-based and bullion-based value, these Australian gold coins hold numismatic value. Coin collectors will treasure each Australian Kangaroo due to the series’ limited releases, as well as the annual changes to the kangaroo design on the back of the coins. Numismatists can build collections that feature sequential coin releases, thereby increasing the value of the coin collection as a whole.
Coin collectors and investors can also purchase Australian Gold Kangaroo coins of different denominations, each of which has a different amount or weight of gold and a different face value. These coins include:
- The 1/2-troy ounce Australian Gold Kangaroo ($50 AUD)
- The 1/4-troy ounce Australian Gold Kangaroo ($25 AUD)
- The 1/10-troy ounce Australian Gold Kangaroo ($15 AUD)
- The 1/20-troy ounce Australian Gold Kangaroo ($5 AUD)
Design
Throughout the history of this program, new designs have been used on the reverse side of the Gold Kangaroo. The Perth Mint changes the design element each year, while always featuring the kangaroo species. Each of the weights available shares the same design each year. This was a departure from the Gold Nugget Series, which featured a unique design for each weight, but featured that same design each year on a given weight.
The obverse of every coin in this series features the effigy of the reigning British monarch at the time.
- 1986-1997: Raphael Maklouf’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II.
- 1998- 2018: Ian Rank-Broadley’s image of Queen Elizabeth II.
- 2019-2023: Jody Clark’s rendition of Queen Elizabeth II
- 2024-Present: Dan Thorne’s portrait of King Charles III. This marks the first time that someone other than Queen Elizabeth II has been featured.
Australian Gold Kangaroos at BullionMax
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