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2012 Australian Koala Silver Coins Announced
August 30, 2011 by Silver Coins Today Staff · Leave a Comment
Investors and collectors looking to obtain 2012 Australian Koala Silver Coins need wait just two more months, according to The Perth Mint of Australia. The Mint has indicated that the highly popular 99.9% pure silver coins will be available beginning November 1, 2011 in four different sizes.
The Perth Mint will make the bullion 2012 Australian Koala Silver Coins available on November 1, 2011. Four sizes will be released. The one-ounce silver coin is shown above (reverse). Click the coin image to enlarge it.
The newest issues in the Koala silver coins series continue the Mint’s tradition of creating annually changing reverse designs. Shown on the reverse of the pending 2012 issues is an image of an adult koala sleeping on the branch of a tree with its front arms stretched around that branch.
This design was created by The Perth Mint artist Aleysha Howarth. Inscriptions found on the reverse include “AUSTRALIAN KOALA,” “2012,” “999 SILVER” and the size of the strike — either “1 KILO,” “10oz,” “1oz” or “1/2oz.”
Those four Koala silver coins provide a wide range of purchasing options which is typical for the series. All four sizes were first introduced together in 2008, the year after the one ounce coin debuted in 2007.
As with other bullion products from the Mint, each coin is guaranteed for weight and purity by the Australian Government and is considered legal tender of that country under the Australian Currency Act of 1965. Accordingly, the obverse of the 2012 Australian Koala Silver Coins contain the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II of England, along with an inscription showing the appropriate face value of either AUS $30, $10, $1 or 50 Cents.
The Perth Mint has indicated no mintage cap on any of the strikes, as they will be produced to meet demand. A final mintage for each size will be announced when production on the 2012 coins end sometime next year.
When available, all four Koala coins may be obtained through the Perth Mint’s distribution and coin dealer network.
2012 Australian Koala Silver Coin Specifications
| Size | 1 Kilo | 10 oz | 1 oz | 1/2 oz |
| Silver Content (Troy oz) | 32.151 Troy oz | 10 Troy oz | 1 Troy oz | .5 Troy oz |
| Face Value (AUD) | $30 | $10 | $1 | $.50 |
| Minimum Gross Weight (g) | 1,001.002 | 311.347 | 31.135 | 15.573 |
| Maximum Diameter (mm) | 100.60 | 75.60 | 40.60 | 36.60 |
| Maximum Thickness (mm) | 14.60 | 8.70 | 4.00 | 2.30 |
About the Perth Mint
The Perth Mint of Australia (http://www.perthmint.com.au/) was established by the Royal Mint of England in 1899. The Royal Mint established the facility in response to rich deposits of gold in nearby Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie. Its purpose was to refine the gold ore of the region and mint it into gold sovereigns for use in Australia.
Ownership of the facility was transferred to the State Government of Western Australia in 1970. Today, it serves as the official issuer of the Australian Federal Government’s Gold and Silver Bullion Coin Program in addition to producing some of the world’s most unique collectible coins.
