The Perth Mint has released commemorative gold, silver and bronze coins celebrating the Australian Olympic Team’s participation at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Authorised by the Australian Olympic Committee, the suite includes a prestigious 10g coin struck from 99.99% pure gold in proof quality. The coin’s reverse depicts the Australian ‘Flags and Rings’ Olympic logo in colour surrounded by stylised representations of the Sydney Opera House and the Beijing Olympic Stadium.

The suite also includes an impressive 1oz coin struck from 99.9% pure silver in proof quality, which features the coloured ‘Flags and Rings’ logo and a stylised athlete intertwined with an image of a traditional Chinese dragon.

Housed in red presentation display cases, the coins are restricted to limited mintages reflecting the auspiciousness of the number ‘8′ in Chinese culture. No more than 2,008 pure gold coins and a maximum of 8,808 pure silver coins will be released.

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Australia’s iconic Koala coins are more popular than ever. The Perth Mint of Australia has launched a new coin series of 2008 proof gold Koalas, its first Gilded Koala and their second pure silver Koala. Each bullion coin depicts the "cuddly" koala and her baby sitting on a tree branch.

All coin versions bear the same obverse or heads design with Ian Rank-Broadley’s effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, are Australian legal tender, and include the "P" mint mark, denoting The Perth Mint. Read the rest of this entry »

The Perth Mint of Australia has launched an innovative rotating coin commemorating the first man in space. The legal-tender, 1 oz silver coin celebrates the journey of Yuri Gagarin, who became the first person to enter space and orbit Earth for 1 hour 48 minutes aboard Vostok 1 on April 12, 1961.

The limited minted coin marks the second release in the Perth Mint’s successful Orbit and Beyond Coin Series.

Gagarin’s flight ushered in a new era of manned space exploration that the 2008 Yuri Gagarin silver proof coin memorializes in a most unique way.

The .999 fine silver coin is constructed to rotate or "orbit" around a central brass representation of a colorful earth.

Equally colorful is the outer reverse or tails design bearing a "montage of images" symbolizing Gagarin’s journey and the border inscriptions "1961 FIRST MAN IN SPACE – YURI GAGARIN."

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Senator the Hon Nick Sherry, Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law, today launched the first coin in the Inspirational Australians’ coin series which features the Australian people’s saint, Blessed Mary MacKillop.

The Inspirational Australian coin series recognises and celebrates individual achievements and commemorates unique Australians who have made an extraordinary contribution to our society.

"As the Australian people’s saint, and someone who could be called Australia’s saint in waiting, Mary MacKillop is a fitting choice for the first coin in the Inspirational Australian series."

"The Royal Australian Mint’s world class coin designer Vladimir Gottwald has designed a coin which depicts Mary MacKillop guiding future generations.

Mary was an exceptional Australian woman who stands as an example of great courage, trust and compassion and as our first saint, she will forever inspire our nation," said Minister Sherry.

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The Royal Australian Mint launches the commemorative 2008 Northern Territory $5 silver proof coin, which is the fifth coin released since the start of the State Series in 2006.

The Royal Australian Mint marks the 30th anniversary of self-government for the Northern Territory with the release of a commemorative five dollar coin.

The Commonwealth conferred self-government on the Northern Territory on 1 July 1978 by enacting the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978. This day is celebrated every year as Territory Day.

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The Perth Mint of Australia announces an array of beautiful 2008 collector coins for worldwide release. The striking of the new silver and gold coins include: First Australian Koala Proof Series, 90th Anniversary of the End of World War I, 2008 Good Fortune Gold Proofs, Christmas Island Silver Proofs, Prince of Wales 60th Birthday Silver Proofs, and the Mythological Chinese Character Series.

The series of coins will be available on The Perth Mint website for ordering soon, with release dates set for 10 July 2008.

First Australian Koala Proof Coin Series

The Perth Mint is proud to announce an iconic new series of proof quality 99.99% pure gold coins.

Introduced in response to collector desire for an Australian gold coin series depicting the Mint’s popular koala design theme, these stunning numismatic releases are meticulously struck in proof quality.

Available in three denominations, the Australian Gold Proof Koala is the first Perth Mint series to include a 1oz ‘high relief’ coin. The spectacular release is struck on a significantly thicker blank to accommodate the greater design depth on its specially prepared die.

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In a move that foreshadows the multi-million dollar redevelopment of The Perth Mint’s retail and exhibition facilities, Gold Corporation – the Mint’s operator – has appointed Acumen Design as exhibition design consultants.

One of Perth’s leading tourism attractions and winner of 11 Tourism Awards since 2000, the 109-year old Perth Mint opened its doors to the public in 1992, and since then it has welcomed in excess of 1 million visitors.

Chief Executive Officer Ed Harbuz said that the time to update visitor facilities was well overdue.

"The Perth Mint is an exciting experience for many visitors to the capital of Western Australia. However, the retail and exhibitions areas have changed little since the early 1990s and a radical overhaul is required to ensure it meets modern expectations of interactivity, entertainment and education, while paying heed to the Mint’s heritage significance."

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The Perth Mint struck and launched a silver proof commemorative coin celebrating the 25th anniversary of Australia II, which became the first challenger ever to win the America’s Cup on 26 September 1983.

The Australian legal tender coin is made of 99.9% pure silver, contains one full ounce, and has a very limited mintage ceiling of 5,000.

The very attractive coin comes with a unique piece of history — a fragment of sailcloth taken from Australia II’s genoa, and worn as she crossed the finish line at the end of the decisive seventh race.

Speaking in front of Australia II at the Western Australian Maritime Museum, John Longley AM said, "Although the victory was won 25 years ago, it still seems like yesterday to me and the crew. So, for The Perth Mint to honour our efforts with the release of this magnificent coin, so long after the event, it is quite humbling."

The coin’s reverse depicts the 12-metre yacht with a coloured representation of her spinnaker bearing the famous identification number KA-6.

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New Zealand has issued commemorative silver and gold proof coins honoring the life achievements of Sir Edmund Hillary. The release of the proof coins mark the 55th anniversary of Hillary’s adventurous climb of Mount Everest with Sherpa Tenzing Norgay on May 29, 1953. The two were the first climbers to conquer Everest.

Sir Edmund Hillary was 33 then, and lived on to accomplish other extraordinary feats during his 88-year lifetime. According to the New Zealand Post, who released the coins,

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The Royal Australian Mint has released a special one dollar coin featuring a detector dog on duty to mark the centenary of Australian Quarantine.

The Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) is responsible for protecting Australia’s borders from exotic pets and diseases. AQIS also provides import and export inspection to support access to overseas markets.

The special uncirculated coin acknowledges the work and commitment of AQIS in protecting Australia’s unique environment and our multi-million dollar agricultural and tourism industries. The success of these quarantine practices has resulted in Australia remaining free from many of the world’s worst agriculture pests and diseases.

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