By now, most investors who buy gold and silver are familiar with the Perth Mint’s vast catalog of impressive precious metal coins. Whether you purchase investment-grade bullion coins such as the Silver Kookaburra or Gold Kangaroo which are released yearly or you buy limited-issue coins for collectible reasons, there’s certain to be something from the Perth Mint in your catalog or portfolio.
There’s a good reason for this too! Perth Mint produces some of the finest quality gold and silver bullion you’ll find right now. Not only are its designs visually brilliant, but many of its products feature .9999 pure metal content. The latest release from Perth Mint is no exception to these facts. The new Bird of Paradise Coin from the Perth Mint is available in both silver and gold with 1 Troy oz of .9999 pure metal content in each. Learn all about this exciting new release now!
The 2018 Australian Bird of Paradise Coins
In the new Australian Bird of Paradise Coin series, you’ll find two options available when making a purchase decision. The 2018 1 oz Australian Gold Bird of Paradise Coin has an extremely limited mintage of only 5,000 coins in total and features 1 Troy oz of .9999 pure gold content in BU condition. The gold coin features a face value of $100 (AUD) and is available in protective plastic.
Additionally, the Perth Mint issued a 2018 1 oz Australian Silver Bird of Paradise Coin. Both coins feature the same obverse and reverse design elements. The silver coin is available with 1 Troy oz of .9999 pure silver in BU condition and bears a face value of $1 (AUD). The silver coin has the added benefit of a much higher mintage, which is set at 50,000 coins in total.
Design of the Australian Bird of Paradise Coins
Both the silver and gold coins for sale in this release have the same designs on both sides of the coin. The obverse side of both coins features the right-profile portrait of Queen Elizabeth II. Her Majesty is shown here in the fourth-generation effigy used originally by the Royal Mint of England and created in 1998 by Ian Rank-Broadley. The engravings on the coin are largely the same on this face, with both coins inscribed with “Elizabeth II,” “Australia,” and “2018.” The only difference is in the face value inscription, with the gold coin featuring “100 Dollars” and the silver coin “1 Dollar.”
On the reverse face of the new 2018 Australian Bird of Paradise Coins, you’ll find the beautiful image of a bird-of-paradise species known as Victoria’s Riflebird. The creature featured on this side of the coin is depicted standing at the very edge of a broken branch. Its wings are spread wide and its beak is open as it puffs its feathers and unleashes a mating call to female members of the species. Inscriptions used on this side of the coin are similar for both. “Australian Bird of Paradise” is engraved along the top of the design field and there is a “P” mint mark from the Perth Mint in the lower-right below the bird’s wings.
Here again, the primary difference is in the metal content referenced. Both coins feature an engraving of “1 oz 9999,” with the gold and silver coins identified by the proper terms.
What is a Bird of Paradise?
The bird-of-paradise is a member of the Paradisaeidae family and includes a total of 42 different species separated into 15 different genera. The vast majority of the species found in the family are located naturally in eastern Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and eastern Australia. The primary character trait that makes these birds easily recognizable is the plumage of the males in the sexually dimorphic species within the family.
The specific species within the family which is represented on these coins is known as Victoria’s Riflebird. This particular species in the bird-of-paradise family is endemic to the Atherton Tableland region within northeastern reaches of the Australian state of Queensland. The birds reside here year round and have been known to the Yidinji people as the duwuduwu for centuries.
Victoria’s riflebird is the name given to the species by the Scot, John Macgillivray in 1848. He named the species after the ruling monarch of the United Kingdom at the time, Queen Victoria I. The use of the term “riflebird” in the name linked this species to the uniforms commonly worn by riflemen in the British Army of the day, as the plumage of the birds matched certain color patterns in the uniform of these soldiers.
Ships May 22nd!
The all-new 2018 Australian Bird of Paradise Coins are currently available on pre-sale with JM Bullion, so don’t forget to check our catalog today to reserve yours in advance. The Bird of Paradise gold and silver coins for sale will arrive on or around May 22, 2018. Keep in touch with JM Bullion on social media by following our Facebook page and don’t forget to stay tuned to the blog each week for exciting new posts!
