Commemorating the 40th anniversary of a technological and historically significant event, The Perth Mint has released the First Man On The Moon 2009 Silver Proof ‘Orbital’ Coin. This coin is the fourth of five in a set of releases that are part of the Perth’s Orbit and Beyond series.

The innovative series capitalizes on the Perth’s abilities to create unique pieces. The Orbit and Beyond coins feature an outer ring design that really orbits around the colored image of Earth in the center. Read the rest of this entry »

Gold Corporation, which trades as The Perth Mint, achieved a record profit before tax of $38 million and capitalised on the favourable market conditions to deliver a dividend of $16 million and an income tax equivalent of $13.1 million to its sole shareholder, the Government of Western Australia.

Gold Corporation is pleased to announce it has achieved a record profit before tax of $38 million for the financial year ended 30 June 2009.

The 2009 figure compares to a profit of $3.7 million in 2008 and was achieved on the back of a major increase in market demand for precious metal bullion and coins.

Gold Corporation experienced a sharp increase in global demand for its minted products, with unit sales of coins, bars and medallions increasing by 50% to 2.7 million (1.8 million units previously). World market share in gold bullion coins was maintained at about 9%. Read the rest of this entry »

The Royal Australian Mint is holding a September Spring Cleaning Collector Auction, marking the first time it has held such an event.

Set for September 12, 2009, the auction will occur at the Mint’s location on Denison Street in the Deakin suburb of the Australian Capital Territory. Registration for the event will start at 2:30 PM and continues until 3:10 PM.

The auction itself is set to begin promptly at 3:15 PM.Only registered bidders will be allowed to participate.

The items slated to be sold make up quite an eclectic collection; from multiple coins to framed posters to information panels. Read the rest of this entry »

For a number of years Cricket ACT has been using the same coin in the coin toss at the Prime Minister’s XI cricket match in Canberra. This year will be different.

The coin tossed today is a collectible from the Royal Australian Mint and celebrates what would have been Sir Donald Bradman’s greatest century of all, his 100th birthday.

"It is a great pleasure to see the coin being used in such a monumental event," Royal Australian Mint’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Graham Smith said.

"Most people at the PM’s XI would agree that Sir Donald Bradman is a true inspiration to all sportsmen and he played an important role in the development of the game and shaping this nation."

The collectible coin was released in July 2008 in partnership with the Bradman Foundation and depicts The Don giving the crowd his customary salute after scoring a century. Read the rest of this entry »

The Perth Mint on Monday issued a commemorative one ounce silver coin celebrating the first space walk in 1965 by cosmonaut Alexei Leonov. The coin is the third release in its highly innovative Orbit and Beyond series where each main design literally orbits around a representation of the Earth.

The Perth Mint describes Leonov’s historic achievement: Exiting the Voskhod II capsule 500km above Earth, Leonov floated in space for more than 10 minutes before attempting to re-enter the airlock.  Alarmingly, his space suit had inflated, forcing the courageous cosmonaut to vent air before being able to squeeze back inside to rejoin compatriot Pavel Belyayev.

The coin’s coloured reverse design depicts space walking Leonov outside Voskhod II in orbit around a colourful earth. Read the rest of this entry »

The Perth Mint has announced that it will resume taking orders for a popular range of gold and silver bullion coins from 12 January 2009.

The announcement follows an earlier Perth Mint communication advising clients that as a result of unprecedented worldwide demand, it had been forced to close its new order book for gold and silver bullion coins, except its 1oz Kangaroo gold bullion coin.  Orders for popular numismatic products and Depository/Certificate products were, and continue to be, unaffected.

Due to its reputation and extensive connections in the bullion market, the Western Australian State-owned Mint continues to have no problem sourcing wholesale gold and silver.  The decision to temporarily suspend taking new orders for gold and silver bullion coins was purely a result of the 100 per cent utilisation of its production capacity.

As of 12 January, the Mint will be resuming orders for a streamlined range of 1oz and 1kg Australian Koala, Australian Kookaburra and Australian Lunar silver bullion coins, as well as 1oz Lunar gold bullion coins.

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Finding unique and memorable holiday gifts for collectors has been made easier by world mints and their spectacular coins. Most collectors would be thrilled to unwrap and behold any number of modern coins. There is usually very little difficulty in discovering what coins interest many collectors.

For youngsters are those who could be inclined to collect, however, finding the right coin as a gift is often times more difficult. For them, coins struck just for the holidays may be the unique gift to consider. Here are several holiday-themed coins from some major mints: Read the rest of this entry »

The Australian has reported The Perth Mint of Australia has suspended gold orders until January.

“We have never seen this before and are working right at capacity. And we are seeing it from clients in the shop buying one ounce, right up to 30,000 ounces from overseas clients,” said Ron Currie, Perth Mint sales and marketing director.

Collector bullion coins may still be ordered from the Perth Mint’s website.

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Alongside telescopes looking up into the night sky, the Royal Australian Mint launched its newest collectible coins at a unique event on Friday, 7 November 2008.

The Mint joined with the Canberra Astronomical Society to create a night of star-gazing in celebration of the 2009 year set theme which commemorates the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). An amazing light show of local astronomer’s photography was also projected across the walls of the Mint building.

"In 2009 the world celebrates the exploration of our universe. It marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei’s first use of the telescope and recognises his revolutionary discoveries that began modern astronomy," said Janine Murphy, Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Australian Mint.

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The Perth Mint marks the discovery of HMAS Sydney II after a mystifying 67-year wait with a magnificent commemorative coin.

Disappearing in November 1941 following a deadly engagement with the German raider Kormoran, the famous Royal Australian Navy cruiser was lost with all hands in the Indian Ocean. Her fate proved baffling until the Finding Sydney Foundation announced on 16 March 2008 that it had located the wreck approximately 207km off the Western Australian coast.

Perth Mint Chief Executive Officer Ed Harbuz said the enormous historical and cultural significance of HMAS Sydney II meant the discovery warranted a special numismatic tribute. "It is a project that The Perth Mint has been exceptionally proud to undertake," he said.

Issued as legal tender under the Australian Currency Act 1965, the superb tribute coin is struck from 1oz of 99.9% pure silver in proof quality.

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