Back in July I had a birthday. Like any good birthday haver, I gave my spouse a list of potential birthday gifts. 😁 With the pandemic cutting back on “gifts of experience” and a house generally filled with clutter, my list was small.
Great Southern Land is a limited mintage, one troy ounce, .9999 silver proof coin issued by the Perth Mint to celebrate Australia. The center of the coin is inlaid with opal in the shape of the Australian continent. Circling the coin’s edge are images of iconic native Australian animals including a koala, emu, kangaroo, wombat, bilby, goanna, echidna, eastern brown snake, frilled lizard and Tasmanian devil.
Here is a close up of the coin’s opal center. 95% of all the world’s opals are mined in Australia. Unsurprisingly, opal is the country’s official gemstone. Australia’s opal fields cover three states (Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia) and their path follows the shores of an ancient inland sea. Australia is also the only place in the world where opalized fossils have been discovered. Because of the abundance of opals in the country, their cost is generally 50% lower in Australia compared to places like the United States.
I mentioned earlier that this coin has a limited mintage. Only 5,000 were produced and each comes with a certificate of authenticity. My coin is #3715/5000.
Like all legal tender Australian coins, the coin’s obverse features an image of Queen Elizabeth II. As the country’s reigning monarch, the Queen’s inclusion is mandated under a regulation of the Currency Act 1965. This is the sixth effigy of the Queen on Australian coinage. This image by the artist Jody Clark was unveiled in 2018 and first used on coins minted in 2019.
I am quite fond of Perth Mint coins. Their designs are always fantastic and filled with detail. They also generally retain their value both from a stacking and a collectibility standpoint. Plus, being married to an Australian these coins make me feel connected to his home, they remind me of the years I lived in Australia and they will be excellent heirlooms for my nieces and nephews one day.
