Today's featured coin is the 1986 Australia Koala $200 Gold Uncirculated coin struck by the Royal Australian Mint. This coin depicts a Koala clinging to a eucalyptus tree branch.

My Story with this Coin

I was extremely fortunate with how I came into possession of this particular coin. It was the year 2015, which was probably when I was at my peak as a Silver Stacker. At the time I was buying and selling silver and gold coins on a regular basis.

I had developed a very loyal customer base here in Australia, throughout Europe and in the United States. I even had regular customers in South East Asia. I was really driving the growth of my coin business as much as I could, because at the time I had ambitions of becoming a trusted bullion dealer.

One Sunday, we were at the in-laws house for a family Sunday roast, when my wife's grandmother approached me. She was very excited and intrigued by what I was doing with my coins. She started asking me all sorts of questions about what the coins were worth and how I was selling them.

As we got chatting, she pulled out an Australian Crown from her pocket, similar to the one in the photo below. She asked me if I thought it was worth any money. It was at this point that I got quite excited as I love the Australian Crown coins. The Australian Crown is also known as a five shilling, they are sterling silver (0.925) with a mass of 28.28g. Their current silver content value is AU $28.50, but their price can vary greatly depending on the quality of the coin.

As I explained more information about the coin, her eyes lit up. She shared with me that she had collection of these coins that were given to her years back by her Grandfather. She told me that she knew they were worth something, but she had not idea they were worth that much money each. She thanked me for sharing the information and mentioned that there was another coin that she had that she wanted to show me at some time in the future.

A number of weeks passed by and I forgot all about the conversation. It was another Sunday lunch at the in-laws and we were all greeting each other and chatting. My wife's Grandmother approached me again, she greeted me, but I could see she had a glint in her eye. She whispered to me, "I brought that other coin for you to look at."

We sat down at the table and she pulled out the blue card sheath you see in the photo below. I think my heart skipped a beat at that point, because I knew she has something special in her hands. She presented the card to me and said, "what to you know about this coin?"

I opened the card and there before me was a beautiful find. I was so happy and explained that this coin was 22 carat gold and was worth a decent amount of money. Then it happened, she said, "I want you to have it!"

I immediately refused the offer and protested that it was way to much to just give it away. I offered to buy it off her, as I was more than happy to have the coin in my collection. She insisted that she wanted me to have it, she told me that she was proud of me and that she got joy knowing that I made her granddaughter happy. I gave her a biggest hug and thanked her, still blown away by what had just occurred.

That is my story of how I came to be in possession of this coin. Even as I write this post, I still cannot believe how that all eventuated and how lucky I was on that day. Now I got the further joy of sharing my story of the coin with all your great people. 😁

Coin Design

Reverse

The reverse of the gold proof coin depicts a Koala clinging to a eucalyptus tree branch. The denomination in words 'TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS' is written below the Koala. The reverse of the coin was designed by renowned Australian designer Stuart Devlin.

Obverse

The obverse of the gold proof coin portrays the Raphael Maklouf effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, with the year 1986. The obverse of the coin was designed by Raphael Maklouf in 1985.

Coin Details

Mint/Brand:	Royal Australian Mint
Gold Content:	0.2948 Troy Ounce (Actual Gold Weight)
Purity:	0.916 Gold (22 Carat)
Denomination:	$200 (Australian)
Year of Issue:	1986
Edge:	Milled
Weight:	10g
Diameter:	24.20mm

Post authored by @strenue