Australia’s Perth Mint is well known for its annual-release silver bullion coin programs, many of which have a matching gold release. Familiar examples you no doubt know include the Australian Silver Kookaburra and Australian Silver Koala. In 2016, the Perth Mint introduced a new option for fans of its annual-release, animal-themed Australian Silver coins.
The 2016 Australian Silver Kangaroo made the continent’s largest marsupial part of the annual bullion coin program from the mint, and brought with it one major first for 2016. The release of the 2016 Australian Silver Kangaroo coin was the first-ever .9999 pure silver bullion coin released by the Perth Mint. Just how successful was that first-ever .9999 pure silver release? The Perth Mint sold more than 11 million Australian Silver Kangaroo coins!
Now, the 2017 Australian Silver Kangaroo coin is available from Perth Mint, and the coin series is worth a brief review for those who missed the release of the new pure silver coin last year.
Design History
The design used on the Australian Silver Kangaroo bullion coin is no stranger to avid Perth Mint collectors, or collectors of other Australian coinage. When it debuted in 2016, the Australian Silver Kangaroo coin featured the image of a kangaroo bounding across the Australian Outback with the stylized rays of the sun framing the creature’s figure. The design was created previously by Stuart Devlin.
Devlin is a native of Geelong, Victoria, Australia, who has designed coins for nations around the world. He has made a name for himself over the years as a designer of gold and silver collector coins, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s. Devlin studied at the Royal College of Art in London in 1958, before earning a Harkness Fellowship from the Commonwealth Fund and later studying at Columbia University in the United States.
For Australians, Devlin is perhaps best known for his role in the decimalization movement following the Currency Act of 1964. Devlin had returned to Melbourne to teach in 1962, and worked as inspector of art schools. In 1964, he had been convinced to enter the contest to submit designs for Australia’s new decimalized coins.
At just 33 years old, Devlin was at least 15 years younger than the other entrants in the competition. The result changed his life forever, as he was able to put his artistic skills and vision to work in coinage. Devlin beat out the other six entrants in the competition, and his designs were chosen for Australia’s all-new decimalized currency.
2016 Success
As the 2016 debut of the Australian Silver Kangaroo bullion coin proved massively popular, the Perth Mint decided to issue a limited-edition proof collector’s set based upon the new .9999 silver bullion coin design to couple the coins similar to the bullion and proof releases of the Australian Silver Kookaburra or Australian Silver Koala.
Those proof coin sets were available on a limited basis, with just 3,000 sets released. There were four coins in the set, which included a 1 oz, 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, and 1/10 oz coin.
Design and Security
The 2017 Australian Silver Kangaroo coin breaks with the tradition of its two partner bullion coin releases, the Australian Silver Kookaburra and Australian Silver Koala. While those coins have new designs each year, the Australian Silver Kangaroo will stick with Devlin’s kangaroo design for the reverse.
This reverse design features the image of a red kangaroo, one of the four major subspecies on the continent, and it is depicted hopping from the coin’s right side to its left. Engravings on this face include “Australian Kangaroo” above the design field and “2017 1 oz 9999 Silver.” The stylized rays of the sun appear as usual, with new security designs added to the coins. There is an authentication feature on this face of the coin in the form of a micro-laser engraved “A.”
This letter “A” is micro-laser engraved within the last “A” of the word Australian, and is visible only under magnification. This makes it harder for counterfeiters to ruin the integrity and security of the 2017 Australian Silver Kangaroo coin.
On the obverse, as always, you’ll find the image of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty’s effigy appears in right-profile relief, with the design coming from Ian Rank-Broadley in 1998 and is the fourth-generation depiction of the Queen to appear on Australian coinage. Engravings on this face include “Elizabeth II,” “Australia,” and “1 Dollar.”
Coin Details
The 2017 Australian Silver Kangaroo coin is available with 1 Troy oz. of .9999 pure silver, has a maximum diameter of 40.6 mm and a maximum thickness of 4 mm, and bears a face value of $1 (AUD) that is fully backed by the federal government of Australia. When you purchase the 2017 Australian Silver Kangaroo, you’ll receive your individual coins in a plastic flip, multiples of 25 ship inside of Perth Mint plastic tubes, and Mini-Monster Boxes containing 250 coins have 10 plastic tubes, each containing 25 Australian Silver Kangaroo coins.
