1 kg Australian Kookaburra Silver Coin

History

The Australian Silver Kookaburra – a cherished silver coin

The Silver Kookaburra is one of the few legal tender silver coins to vary each year its main motif, the kookaburra bird. Many collectors cherish the changing motif, and likewise appreciate the excellent mint quality of the coin, the rich level of detail, and the silvery sparkle diffracted by the coin’s shiny and mat surfaces. The Silver Kookaburra coin will certainly catch the eye of anyone who admires precious artwork. All these facts contribute to making older issues of Silver Kookaburras gain value in the secondary market well above the melt value of the contained silver, a trend that is likely to continue. 

The Silver Kookaburra coin depicts Australia’s famous Kookaburra bird

The “Kook” or Kookaburra is a bird native to Australia and, depending on the species (in total they are four), they grow to 25 to 45 cm in length and are most commonly found in humid woodlands or dry savannas. Originally, the name of the kookaburra is derived from an indigenous Australian language in which it is referred to as the “guuguubarra”. What makes the bird so charming is its unique call, which sounds like a combination of laughter and a series of long rolling “rs”. 

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.