The Perth Mint
Official Mint of Western Australia
Quick-Facts
| Official Name | The Perth Mint |
| Country | Australia |
| Year Founded | 1899 |
| Primary Location | East Perth, Western Australia |
| Famous Bullion Series | Australian Kangaroo, Lunar Series, Kookaburra, Koala |
Historical Overview
Established in 1899, The Perth Mint is Australia’s oldest operating minting facility. It was originally founded as the third colonial branch of the British Royal Mint (alongside the now-defunct Sydney and Melbourne branches) with a singular purpose: to refine the massive influx of raw gold discovered during the historic Western Australian gold rushes and convert it into Gold Sovereigns for the British Empire.
Even after Australia became a federation in 1901, the mint remained under British Crown ownership until 1970, when jurisdiction was officially transferred to the Government of Western Australia. Today, the mint operates entirely independently of the royal circulating mint in Canberra. It focuses exclusively on refining precious metals and striking world-class investment bullion, operating its own state-of-the-art refinery that processes a significant portion of the entire Southern Hemisphere’s gold supply.
Iconic Flagship Coin Series
The Australian Kangaroo (Gold, Silver, Platinum): Originally introduced in 1986 as the “Gold Nugget,” this series was redesigned in 1989 to feature the iconic kangaroo. The gold coins are minted to an ultra-pure 24 karat standard (99.99% fine), and the reverse design changes every single year, making them highly collectible
The Lunar Series (Gold, Silver, Platinum): A globally renowned, 12-year rotating coin program celebrating the ancient Chinese zodiac calendar. Known for its immaculate proof-like finishes, a new animal design is introduced each year, highly sought after by both investors and numismatists.
Advanced Security Features
The Perth Mint implements advanced anti-counterfeiting measures on its flagship bullion coins (specifically the standard-issue Silver Kangaroo and Silver Lunar series) to ensure absolute market security:
The Micro-Laser Verification Mark: Embedded directly within the coin’s reverse design is a microscopic letter (for example, a tiny letter “A” hidden within the first “A” of the word AUSTRALIAN). This letter is invisible to the naked eye and can only be clearly read under strong magnification or a jeweler’s loupe.
Radial Line Fields: The backgrounds of modern bullion coins feature hyper-precise radial lines radiating outward from the center. This creates a specific, clean light-diffraction pattern that cast-molded counterfeits cannot replicate without looking blurry or dull.
Image courtesy of The Royal Mint © 2026