Australian Gold Nugget facts for kids
| Australia | |
| Value | Australian Dollar |
|---|---|
| Edge | Milled |
| Composition | .9999 gold |
| Years of minting | 1986–present |
| Obverse | |
| Design | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer | Ian Rank-Broadley |
| Reverse | |
| Design | Kangaroo (varies by year) |
The Australian Gold Nugget is a special gold coin made in Australia. It is also called the Australian Gold Kangaroo. The Perth Mint makes these coins. They are made from very pure gold, which is 24 carat gold. This means it's 99.99% pure gold!
These coins come in many sizes. You can find them as small as 20⁄{{{2}}} of an ounce or as big as 1 kilogram. They are considered "legal tender" in Australia. This means you could use them to buy things, just like regular money. What makes them extra special is that their design changes every year. This is unusual for gold coins and can make them more valuable to coin collectors.
Contents
History
How the Gold Nugget Coin Started
The Gold Nugget coin series began in 1986. It was created by a company called Gold Corporation, also known as The Perth Mint. This company is owned by the government of Western Australia.
When the coins first came out, they had two cool features. Each coin had a "two-tone" design that looked frosted. Also, each coin came in its own hard plastic case. These things made the Gold Nugget coins unique compared to other gold coins.
From Nuggets to Kangaroos
From 1986 to 1989, the coins showed pictures of famous Australian gold nuggets. For example, the 1987 one-ounce coin featured the "Welcome Stranger" nugget. Another coin from that year showed the "Hand of Faith" nugget.
In 1989, the design changed. Instead of gold nuggets, the coins started showing different kangaroos. Kangaroos are a well-known symbol of Australia around the world. Because of this change, people sometimes call these coins "gold kangaroos" today.
Giant Gold Coins
In 1991, the Perth Mint started making much bigger gold coins. They introduced sizes of 2 ounces, 10 ounces, and even 1 kilogram. These were some of the largest gold coins ever made! Making bigger coins helped keep their price lower for the amount of gold.
In 1992, the official value printed on these large coins was changed. This was done to match the value of the one-ounce coin better. The design on these bigger coins is always the same "red kangaroo" picture. It does not change every year like the smaller coins.
In October 2011, the Perth Mint made an amazing coin. It was a one-tonne (1,000 kilogram) gold coin! This coin broke the record for being the biggest and most valuable gold coin in the world. It is about 80 centimeters (31 inches) wide and 12 centimeters (4.7 inches) thick.
This giant coin also features a red kangaroo on one side. On the other side, it has a picture of Queen Elizabeth II. The official value of this huge coin is A$1 million. But when it was made, the gold inside was worth over A$53 million!
It's important not to confuse the Australian Gold Nugget coins with the Australian Lunar Gold Bullion coins. Both are made by the Perth Mint and are very pure gold. However, Lunar coins show different animals from the Chinese calendar, not kangaroos.
Specifications
Here is a table showing the different sizes and values of the Australian Gold Nugget coins:
| Type | Diameter | Thickness | Weight | Face value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20⁄{{{2}}} troy oz coin | 14.10 mm | 1.40 mm | 0.05 ozt (1.6 g) | A$5 |
| 10⁄{{{2}}} troy oz coin | 16.10 mm | 1.30 mm | 0.1 ozt (3.1 g) | A$15 |
| 4⁄{{{2}}} troy oz coin | 20.10 mm | 1.80 mm | 0.25 ozt (7.8 g) | A$25 |
| 2⁄{{{2}}} troy oz coin | 25.10 mm | 2.20 mm | 0.5 ozt (16 g) | A$50 |
| 1 troy oz coin | 32.10 mm | 2.65 mm | 1 ozt (31 g) | A$100 |
| 2 troy oz coin | 40.40 mm | 3.35 mm | 2 ozt (62 g) | A$500 (1991) A$200 (1992–) |
| 10 troy oz coin | 59.70 mm | 7.65 mm | 10 ozt (310 g) | A$2,500 (1991) A$1,000 (1992–) |
| 1 kilo coin | 74.50 mm | 15.80 mm | 1 kg (32 ozt) | A$10,000 (1991) A$3,000 (1992–) |
| 1 tonne coin | approx 800 mm | approx 120 mm | 1,012 kg (32,500 ozt) | A$1,000,000 |
See also
- Big Maple Leaf
- Spanish gold Lynx
