1 kg Australian Koala Silver Coin

The Silver Koala coin depicts Australia’s famous marsupial

The koala is a marsupial native to the eastern and southern parts of Australia. Although not in any way related to bears, the word bear is added to their name as they have a distinct look of a small teddy bear. The name “koala” derives from an indigenous Australian language which means “animal that does not drink”. In fact, koalas will rarely drink water as they receive most of their needed water from their main source of food: eucalyptus leaves. They grow to be between 60 and 90 cm high and are characterised by their black short nose and large fluffy ears. What is fascinating about the koala is its ability to base its diet on leaves from the eucalyptus tree which in general are highly toxic to most mammals and contain low levels of beneficial nutrients. To cope with this peculiar low energy diet, the koala will limit its energy use by sleeping between 17-20 hours per day.

The Perth Mint is a world distinguished mint and precious metals refiner that is located in the City of Perth, in Western Australia. The Perth Mint was founded in 1896 by Britain’s Royal Mint in response to the newly discovered gold deposits in Western Australia. Perth Mint’s task was to refine gold ore from the mines and to strike sovereign gold coins from the refined bullion. Between 1899 and 1931 the Pert Mint produced  a considerable amount of gold sovereigns which were distributed in Australia  and throughout the British Empire to be used as circulating currency. British control over Perth Mint was relinquished in 1971 to the Government of Western Australia which then assumed ownership of  the  mint.  Today,  the  Perth  Mint  is  hailed  for  the exceptional  quality  of  its  world  class investment bullion coins like the Kookaburra and Koala silver coins, and the Lunar Series. The Perth Mint has been a member of the London Gold Market (predecessor of the LBMA) since 1934. The swan design, which is the Mint’s official assay stamp registered with the LBMA, is recognised internationally and was inspired by the Mint’s location in Perth, where the main river, the Swan, runs through the city.