Australian Silver Kookaburra facts for kids
| Australia | |
| Value | 1 Dollar (face value) |
|---|---|
| Mass | 31.1 g (1.0 troy oz) |
| Diameter | 40.6 mm (1.52 in) |
| Thickness | 2.98 mm (0.117 in) |
| Edge | Reeded slanted left |
| Composition | 99.99% Ag |
| Years of minting | 1990-present |
| Obverse | |
 |
|
| Design | Queen Elizabeth II |
| Designer | Jody Clark |
| Design date | 2015 |
| Reverse | |
 |
|
| Design | A kookaburra at sunset |
| Designer | Aleysha Howart |
| Design date | 2018 |
The Silver Kookaburra is a special silver coin from Australia. It's made by the Perth Mint and has been produced since 1990. These coins are known as bullion coins. This means they are made from a precious metal, like silver. People buy them mainly for the value of the metal.
The coins were made of 99.9% pure silver until 2018. After that, they became even purer, at 99.99% silver. The front side of the coin, called the obverse, always shows Queen Elizabeth II. The back side, or reverse, changes every year. It always features a kookaburra, which is a famous bird from Australia.
Because the design changes each year and only a limited number of one-ounce coins are made, they are very popular with collectors. This makes them more valuable than some other silver coins. The Perth Mint usually sends these coins in individual plastic cases. The one-ounce coins come in rolls of 20, with five rolls in a box of 100. They are made in four different sizes: 1000 grams, 10, 2, and 1 troy ounce.
In 2015, the coin celebrated its 25th anniversary. For this special occasion, the 2015 coin featured the same kookaburra design as the very first coin from 1990. To tell them apart, the 2015 coin has "1990-2015" on the back. It also has "2015" added to the front. The 2015 coin was actually released on September 1, 2014.
Coin Details and Sizes
These coins come in different weights and have different face values. The face value is the official value printed on the coin. However, because they are made of silver, their actual value is usually much higher.
| Specifications | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weight (troy oz) |
Weight (grams) |
Face Value | Diameter (mm) |
Thickness (mm) |
| 1002.50 | AU$30 | 101.00 | 14.60 | |
| 10 | 312.35 | AU$10 | 75.50 | 8.70 |
| 2 | 62.77 | AU$2 | 50.30 | 4.50 |
| 1 | 31.135 | AU$1 | 40.60 | 4.00 |
The One-Ounce Kookaburra Coin
The Perth Mint makes a limited number of the one troy ounce Kookaburra coins each year. This makes them more special for collectors. Other sizes of the coin are made as much as people want to buy them. The Mint had planned to make one million one-ounce coins in 2013. However, they decided to reduce this to 500,000 coins. They also announced that future years would also be limited to this amount.
Besides the regular coins, there are also "proof" versions. These are made with a special process to look extra shiny and detailed. The design for the proof coins can be different from the regular coins each year. Between 2006 and 2011, no proof coins were made. But in 2012, a special colored proof Kookaburra coin was created. Since 2012, proof coins have been made with a "high relief" design, which means the images stand out more.
Special editions of the Kookaburra coin are also often available. These can include coins with a privy mark (a small extra symbol). Some coins are colored, and others are gilded, meaning they have a thin layer of gold on them.
Here are tables showing how many standard bullion and proof coins were made each year, along with some special editions.
| Year | Bullion mintage | Proof mintage |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 300,000 | 21,671 |
| 1991 | 300,000 | 6,673 |
| 1992 | 219,694 | 6,766 |
| 1993 | 190,581 | 5,121 |
| 1994 | 174,561 | 2,500 |
| 1995 | 154,247 | 3,000 |
| 1996 | 170,105 | 3,500 |
| 1997 | 159,497 | 2,466 |
| 1998 | 103,119 | 2,114 |
| 1999 | 109,364 | 1,646 |
| 2000 | 104,169 | 2,583 |
| 2001 | 169,265 | 3,241 |
| 2002 | 91,604 | 1,733 |
| 2003 | 109,439 | 1,571 |
| 2004 | 84,455 | 1,446 |
| 2005 | 95,145 | 2,346 |
| 2006 | 87,044 | - |
| 2007 | 213,436 | - |
| 2008 | 300,000 | - |
| 2009 | 300,000 | - |
| 2010 | 300,000 | - |
| 2011 | 500,000 | - |
| 2012 | 500,000 | 10,000 |
| 2013 | 500,000 | 5,378 |
| 2014 | 500,000 | 2,550 |
| 2015 | 500,000 | 8,000 |
| 2016 | 500,000 | 2,401 |
| 2017 | 406,265 | 2,845 |
| 2018 | 243,740 | 1,935 |
| 2019 | 219,660 | |
| 2020 | 375,914 | |
| 2021 | 266,676 |
| Year | Privy Mark | Particularity | Mintage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Eagle | Proof coins only | 750 |
| 1993 | Sydney Opera House | Proof coins only | 15,000 |
| 1994 | Team Australia - Commonwealth Games | 15,000 | |
| 1995 | Panda | Gilded privy | 10,000 |
| 1996 | Panda | Gilded privy | 15,000 |
| Tricentennial naming of the Swan River | 5,000 | ||
| Eiffel Tower (France) | 5,000 | ||
| Brandenburg Gate (Germany) | 5,000 | ||
| Tower Bridge (Great Britain) | 5,000 | ||
| Colossus of Rhodes (Greece) | 5,000 | ||
| The Hague (Netherlands) | 5,000 | ||
| Goya's La Maja desnuda | Gilded privy | 2,500 | |
| Basler stab | 2,500 | ||
| Date on edge of coin | Date and serial number | 1,500 | |
| 1997 | Dragon | Gilded privy | 20,000 |
| Phoenix | Gilded privy | 20,000 | |
| Panda | Gilded privy | 15,000 | |
| Little Mermaid (Denmark) | 5,000 | ||
| Elk (Finland) | 5,000 | ||
| Roman Colosseum (Italy) | 5,000 | ||
| Windmill (Netherlands) | 5,000 | ||
| Monument of the Discoveries (Portugal) | 5,000 | ||
| Utrecht Coat of Arms | 2,500 | ||
| Zurich Coat of Arms | 2,500 | ||
| Japanese Golden Yen | Gilded privy | 2,500 | |
| Thomas Edison | Gilded privy | 2,500 | |
| 1998 | St. Stephen's Cathedral (Austria) | 5,000 | |
| Celtic harp (Ireland) | 5,000 | ||
| Schuman Building (Luxembourg) | 5,000 | ||
| Alhambra palace (Spain) | 5,000 | ||
| Vasa warship (Sweden) | 5,000 | ||
| 1999 | 1999 Australian Gold Sovereign coin | Gilded privy | 5,000 |
| Austrian 20 Schilling | 5,000 | ||
| Belgian 50 Frank | 5,000 | ||
| Finnish 1 Markka | 5,000 | ||
| French 5 Francs | 5,000 | ||
| German 1 Mark | 5,000 | ||
| Irish 1 Punt | 5,000 | ||
| Italian 1000 Lire | 5,000 | ||
| Luxembourg 50 Francs | 5,000 | ||
| Netherlands 1 Gulden | 5,000 | ||
| Portuguese 50 Escudo | 5,000 | ||
| Spanish 100 Pesetas | 5,000 | ||
| Australian 1919 square penny | 3,500 | ||
| 16th century Japanese Koban coin | Gilded privy | 2,500 | |
| 2001 | Commonwealth Star | Gilded privy | 10,000 |
| Santa Claus | Colored privy | 1,000 | |
| 2002 | US Flag | Colored privy | 18,496 |
| 2004 | Gilded kookaburras | 10,000 | |
| 2005 | Zodiac (12 coins total) | 5,000 (for each month) |
|
| 2007 | Gilded kookaburra | 10,000 | |
| 2012 | Lunar calendar dragon | 64,989 | |
| 2013 | Lunar snake | 50,000 | |
| Fabulous 15 | 7,600 | ||
| 2014 | Lunar horse | 50,000 | |
| Fabulous 15 | 7,000 | ||
| 2015 | Lunar goat | 50,000 | |
| Fabulous 15 | 7,350 | ||
| 2016 | Lunar monkey | 50,000 | |
| Fabulous 15 | 5,252 | ||
| 2017 | Lunar Rooster | 50,000 | |
| Panda | 8,000 | ||
| Shark | 31,482 | ||
| 2018 | Lunar dog | 50,000 | |
| Panda | 8,000 | ||
| Fabulous 15 | 4,805 |
See also
- Australian Silver Kangaroo (bullion)
- Australian Silver Koala
- Bullion
- Bullion coin
- Inflation hedge
- Silver as an investment
