There are coins for people who want to maximize the amount of gold in their collection. The Australian Kangaroo is not one of those. Instead, buyers are drawn to the Kangaroo’s annual design quirks, its deeply respected mint, and its connection to one of the world’s great countries.

Of course, it doesn’t hurt that the coin is minted in .9999 fine gold. As such, it is also a viable option for placement in a precious metals IRA or as a central showpiece for an ultrapure gold coin collection.

This page is your guide to the signature product of the Perth Mint, Australia’s sovereign bullion mint – the Australian Gold Kangaroo. If you want a gold coin that is desirable no matter where you are in the world, you’ve come to the right place.

The Perth Mint — 125 Years of Minting Excellence

The Perth Mint’s name may sound as though it is a private minting operation. However, it is anything but private.

Instead, it is a holdover from Australia’s colonial days with the British Empire. When it opened in 1899, it became the third of three colonial mint locations – the other two were in Sydney and Melbourne.

The Perth Mint is also the last of the three to remain. It has been in continuous operation since its debut – and it is still in its original location.

From 1899 to 1931, the mint struck more than 106 million gold sovereigns and half sovereigns on behalf of Great Britain. After England abandoned the gold standard in 1931, the mint turned its expertise to the creation of fine gold bullion bars.

However, the outbreak of the Second World War necessitated the creation of a great deal of Australian coinage. So, much of the Perth Mint’s attention was diverted to that cause.

Nevertheless, the Perth Mint continued innovating and developing its skills with respect to the refining and minting of gold. In 1957, it created a 13-oz proof plate that established a new high mark for gold purity.

Incredibly, this piece was minted to be nearly 99.9999% pure gold – or nearly “six nines fine.” This feat was so impressive that the Royal Mint of England ordered a portion of the plate to serve as its own benchmark.

Ownership of the Perth Mint remained in British control until 1970. Then, ownership of the mint formally transferred to the rolls of the state’s government and ended British participation in Australian mintage.

It continued to perform as the bullion mint and as a circulating coin mint until 1983. Since then, the Perth Mint has focused on its role as the sovereign bullion mint of Australia. With the debut of the Australian Gold Nugget in 1987, it began to compete with other sovereign mints and their respective bullion coins for global market share.

From Nugget to Kangaroo — The History of the Series

Now, you may be wondering why we’re mentioning the Australian Gold Nugget bullion coins if this page is about the Australian Gold Kangaroo. Simply put – they are the same coins.

The Perth Mint introduced the Gold Nugget bullion piece as a way of honoring Australia’s rich heritage and history with respect to gold mining. Australia has long been a land rich in gold ore, and – unlike South Africa – has continued to reign as one of the world’s top gold-producing countries.

However, three years after the launch of the Gold Nugget, the powers that be at the Perth Mint elected to alter the name and design of the coin. It replaced the Gold Nugget with the Kangaroo, and thus paid tribute to one of Australia’s best-known signature fauna. In a way, the change allowed the coin to echo the South African Mint, which places a springbok antelope on the reverse of its Krugerrand.

The change met with incredible success. Thus, the coin series has remained the Kangaroo since 1990. There are now multiple weights associated with the coin, and you can also find versions in silver and platinum, too.

The Annual Changing Design — Why It Matters

Though it has stuck with the kangaroo as its namesake and design inspiration for its signature coin, the Perth Mint has distinguished itself and the coin with a practice that few other sovereign mints undertake. Every year, the Perth Mint issues the Gold Kangaroo with a different design for the kangaroo.

In doing so, the Perth Mint creates additional demand from collectors and investors who seek to assemble full sets of coins. Unlike American Gold Eagles or Canadian Gold Maple Leafs, there is enough variation in the Gold Kangaroos to make each year’s edition a showpiece.

In contrast, the design on the coin’s obverse has remained mostly the same – with one exception. As a nod to its colonial roots, the Gold Kangaroo features an image of the current sitting monarch of the United Kingdom on its front.

Naturally, Gold Kangaroos issued between 1987 and 2023 depicted Queen Elizabeth II. However, due to her death in September 2022, the newly-ascended King Charles III has adorned the obverse of the Gold Kangaroo since 2024.

Finally, modern versions of the Gold Kangaroo sport a microscopic letter on their reverses. This letter, engraved using a micro-laser, serves as an advanced security measure on each coin.

Purity, Sizes, and Specifications

The Gold Kangaroo’s standard size is the 1 oz version. The coins at this weight are the most liquid and best-known.

However, there is an impressive amount of diversity available when it comes to the different weights of Gold Kangaroo you can get. You can find options as large as 1 kilogram and as small as 1/2 gram fairly easily.

No matter what you choose, Gold Kangaroos are all legal tender in Australia. Each sports a face value, although we’d strongly caution against using this value in trade.

Gold Kangaroos have been minted in .9999 fine gold since their inception as Gold Nuggets. No matter the size you choose, it will bear this same ultrapure composition.

Silver Kangaroos have been part of the product line since 2016. They are minted to be 99.99% pure – the same “four nines fine” standard as their golden counterparts.

Since 2017, the Perth Mint has added a platinum version of the Kangaroo to the coin series lineup. These coins are minted to be .9995 fine, but the difference in purity between the platinums and the golds and silvers is mostly negligible – you’re getting an ultrapure coin, regardless of its primary metal.

As is often the case, individual years of the Kangaroo may be more or less desirable to collectors, depending on their designs and relative rarities. Some of them may come with reasonable premiums, while others may cost a bit more.

Global Liquidity and Investment Case

Now, the Australian Kangaroo ranks as one of the world’s best-known and most-recognized sovereign bullion coins. Furthermore, the Perth Mint is one of the world’s most prestigious sovereign mints.

As a result, Kangaroos are quite liquid investments because they are known to dealers and buyers around the globe. They consistently rank among the top ten gold coins in the world because of their quality and design.

However, it’s also important to know that Australian Kangaroos’ .9999 purity meets or exceeds the standards set by every major international standard for bullion, including that of the LBMA Good Delivery program.

For US buyers, the “four nines fine” purity also makes it eligible for inclusion in a precious metals IRA. Only the purest bullion coins qualify under the IRS rules, and the Kangaroo is on the preferred list.

Conclusion

The Australian Kangaroo is the premier product of the Perth Mint. The sovereign bullion coin is the result of more than a century of minting excellence.

It also offers an extremely pure coin, with both of its gold and silver versions using .9999 fine alloys of their respective metals. Each year means a slightly different design for the Kangaroo, meaning that each release is special in its own right.

Whether you want to build a full set of them or just add to your bullion stack, we are here to help. Reach out to JM Bullion to explore all the Australian Gold Kangaroos we have to offer.