2020 Marked the 30th Anniversary of the Australian Kookaburra
Today's featured coin is the 2020 Australian Kookaburra coin struck by The Perth Mint. The year 2020 was a very special year as it marked the 30th Anniversary of the Australian Kookaburra. There were many impressive kookaburra coin designs released by The Perth Mint to celebrate the iconic kookaburra bullion coin program, this post will cover a number of the coin designs issued.
Contents
This post will focus on six of the different coin designs that were issued in 2020 for the 30th Anniversary of the Australian Kookaburra:
- Bullion Coin - The Bullion coin sizes issued in 2020 were the 1oz, 10oz and 1kg coins. The original 1990 Stuart Devlin was featured on the obverse of the coin.
- Privy Coin - The Privy coin design discussed in this post is the NSW Floral Emblem privy mark.
- 2oz Gilded Coin - The Gilded coin has the same coin design as the bullion coin with gold gilding which added vibrancy to the coin.
- 2kg Antique High Relief Coin - The Antique High Relief coin has an extremely limited mintage and each coin is uniquely numbered on the rim.
- 2oz Mother and Baby Coin - The 2oz Mother and Baby coin is a bullion quality coin issued in a mint-issued tube of ten coins each.
- 1/10oz Gold Coin - The 1/10oz Gold coin celebrates the 1990 Silver Kookaburra coin design. It is the first Perth Mint gold coin design to feature a kookaburra.
1. Bullion Coin
Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 1oz Silver 2020 Australian Kookaburra bullion coin was 500,000 and the declared mintage was 148,527. The coin was issued as legal tender under the authority of Australia with a denomination of one dollar. The bullion coin sizes issued in 2020 were the 1oz, 10oz and the 1kg coins. The table below shows the maximum mintage and declared mintage totals.
| Year | Denomination | Description | Maximum Mintage | Declared Mintage |
| 2020 | $30 | 1kg Bullion Kookaburra Coin 2020 | unlimited | 6,731 |
| 2020 | $10 | 10oz Bullion Kookaburra Coin 2020 | unlimited | 6,160 |
| 2020 | $1 | 1oz Bullion Kookaburra Coin 2020 | 500,000 | 148,527 |
Coin Purity
The 2020 edition of the Australian Kookaburra Bullion coins have a purity of .9999 fine silver, the previous editions of the coins prior to 2018 had a purity of .999 silver.
Coin Details
| Mint/Brand: | The Perth Mint |
| Silver Content: | 1 Troy Ounce |
| Purity: | .9999 Fine Silver |
| Denomination: | $1 (Australian) |
| Year of Issue: | 2020 |
| Edge: | Milled |
| Weight: | 31.135g |
| Diameter: | 40.60mm |
| Thickness: | 2.98mm |
| Maximum Mintage: | 500,000 |
| Declared Mintage: | 148,527 |
Design
The reverse of the Bullion coin depicts a kookaburra perched on a tin roof, with sun rays of light in the background. The design includes an inscription 'Australian Kookaburra', the 'P' mintmark to the left of the tin roof, the words '30th ANNIVERSARY', the coin weight '1oz' and purity '9999 SILVER'.
The obverse of the coin portrays the original 1990 Stuart Devlin design of a kookaburra perched on a tree stump. Above the kookaburra is the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian '1 Dollar', with the year inscription of '1990 2020'.
2. Privy Coin
Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 2020 Sydney Money Expo 1oz Silver Australian Kookaburra with Square Penny privy mark, was limited at 2,000 coins. The coin was packaged in coloured card to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Australian Kookaburra Bullion coin. The privy mark was a Waratah flower, representing the New South Wales floral emblem.
Design
The reverse of the NSW floral privy coin depicts the same 2020 kookaburra perched on a tin roof, with sun rays of light in the background. The privy mark on this coin is coloured which emphasises the deep red of the Waratah flower. The design includes an inscription 'Australian Kookaburra', the 'P' mintmark, the words '30th ANNIVERSARY', the coin weight '1oz' and purity '9999 SILVER'.
The obverse of the coin portrays the original 1990 Stuart Devlin design of a kookaburra perched on a tree stump. Above the kookaburra is the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian '1 Dollar', with the year inscription of '1990 2020'.
3. 2oz Gilded Coin
Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 30th Anniversary 2oz Silver Gilded Australian Kookaburra, was extremely limited at 1,000 coins. The detail of the coin design is made more vibrant with the 24 carat gold gilding of the coin.
When issued, these coins were listed for AU $199.00, although way above the silver content value of the coin, all 1,000 of these 2oz coins were sold out.
Design
The reverse of the Gilded coin depicts the same 2020 kookaburra perched on a tin roof, with sun rays of light in the background. The proof quality of the coin provides a highly-polished coin with a slightly concave surface. The featured kookaburra and the milled edge of the coin are gilded in 24 carat gold, creating a stunning contrast between the silver and gold. The design includes an inscription 'Australian Kookaburra', the 'P' mintmark, the words '30th ANNIVERSARY', the coin weight '1oz' and purity '9999 SILVER'.
The obverse of the coin portrays the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian '2 Dollars', with the year inscription of '1990 2020'.
The 2oz Gilded coin was presented in a sleek black case with a clear perspex lid. The Perth Mint swan logo is illustrated in the bottom left corner of the clear lid. Each coin is packaged in a special 30th anniversary illustrated outer box and accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity.
4. 2kg Antique High Relief Coin
Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 2kg Silver 2020 Australian Kookaburra Antique High Relief, was extremely limited at 200 coins. The finish of these coins is outstanding, with the extra high raised milled edges and the design deeply etched into the coin. I have not seen one of these coins in person, but I can just imagine how incredible it must be to hold this 2kg silver masterpiece.
When issued, these coins went for a whopping AU $4,765.00, just like the previous koala and kangaroo releases, all 200 of these 2kg coins were sold out.
Coin Details
| Mint/Brand: | The Perth Mint |
| Silver Content: | 64.301 Troy Ounces |
| Purity: | .9999 Fine Silver |
| Denomination: | $60 (Australian) |
| Year of Issue: | 2020 |
| Edge: | Milled |
| Weight: | 2000.200g |
| Diameter: | 101.00mm |
| Thickness: | 6.00mm |
| Maximum Mintage: | 200 |
Design
The reverse of the coin depicts a kookaburra flying in Perth’s Kings Park, with the city skyline in the background. The design includes an inscription 'Australian Kookaburra', the year '2020', the coin weight '2 KILO' and purity '9999 SILVER'. The side rim of each coin is individually marked with a number from 1 to 200, so that you know which specific number in the collection you have.
The obverse of the coin portrays the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian '60 Dollars'.
The 2020 Australian Kookaburra 2kg Antique High Relief coin was presented in a rugged-looking black wooden box, the coin is safely stored in a clear perspex display case, and accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity.
5. 2oz Mother and Baby Coin
Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 2020 2oz Mother and Baby Silver Australian Kookaburra was limited at 75,000 coins. The kookaburra coin design is the third Piedfort design in the series. The 2018 coin featured a koala mother and baby and the 2019 coin featured a crocodile mother and baby.
The 2oz silver coins were sold as single coins in a plastic flip, in mint-issued tubes of ten coins or 100 coins come in a monster box containing five mint-issued tubes of ten coins each.
Design
The reverse of the coin depicts depicts a protective mother kookaburra standing by her baby, with radial lines in the background. The Perth Mint 'P' mintmark is visible to the right of the baby kookaburra. As mentioned above, this is a Piedfort designed coin.
The obverse of the coin portrays the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the year '2020', the denomination of Australian '2 Dollars', the coin weight '2oz' and purity '9999 Ag'. The obverse also has radial lines in the background.
6. 1/10oz Gold Coin
Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 1/10oz Gold 2020 Australian Kookaburra, was limited to 15,000 coins. The 1/10oz gold coins were sold as single coins, in sealed rolls of twenty coins or you could purchase a box with 100 coins that includes five sealed rolls of twenty coins each.
The 2020 1/10oz Gold Australian Kookaburra is the first year that the kookaburra has appeared on a gold coin design issued by The Perth Mint, this was to celebrate the 30-year legacy of the Australian Kookaburra Silver Bullion Series.
It is interesting to note that the 2021 1/10oz gold coin also includes a kookaburra coin design, I wonder whether this is the start of a new series to start collecting.
Coin Details
| Mint/Brand: | The Perth Mint |
| Gold Content: | 1/10 Troy Ounce |
| Purity: | .9999 Fine Gold |
| Denomination: | $15 (Australian) |
| Year of Issue: | 2020 |
| Edge: | Milled |
| Weight: | 3.11g |
| Diameter: | 16.60mm |
| Thickness: | 1.8mm |
| Maximum Mintage: | 15,000 |
Design
The reverse of the coin depicts the original Stuart Devlin 1990 Silver Kookaburra. The kookaburra is perched on a tree stump, with eucalyptus leaves in the background. The design includes an inscription 'Australian Kookaburra', the year '1990 2020', the coin weight '1/10oz' and purity '9999 GOLD'.
The obverse of the coin portrays the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian '15 Dollars'.
Coin Purchase Quantity
The Australian Kookaburra 1oz coins are sold as single coins, in sealed rolls of twenty 1oz coins or you can purchase a 100oz box that includes five sealed rolls of twenty 1oz coins. The advantage of buying in higher quantities is that the bullion dealers offer volume breaks or discounts the more coins you buy.
Coin Display
There are many options on how best to store and display your Australian Kookaburra 1oz coin collection. One great option is to purchase a purpose built presentation box. There are different varieties out there, but the one in the photo below holds up to twenty 1oz Silver Kookaburra coins. The black velour-lined tray is designed to fit 1oz Silver Kookaburra coins in their original mint capsules.
Coin Protection
Each 1oz Silver Kookaburra coin is stored in their original mint plastic capsules. It is highly recommended that you keep your silver bullion coins in their capsules to prevent tarnishing of the coin. If the original plastic capsule gets scratched, damaged or cracks, you can buy new plastic capsules from your trusted bullion dealer.
When handling your 1oz Silver Kookaburra coins, for extra protection use a pair of cotton gloves. Cotton gloves protect your silver coins from oils in your fingers that may cause discoloration, damaging the finish of the coin. I have formed the habit to use cotton gloves even when I am handling silver coins in their plastic capsules.
Post authored by @strenue
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