Silver Kangaroo

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Debuting in 1993 from both of Australia’s mints, Silver Kangaroo coins became an instant classic that continues to this day almost 30 years later. 

In 2018, the Royal Australian Mint celebrated the 25th anniversary of their own Silver Kangaroo with a coin and bar set, both of which had an extremely strict mintage of only 5,000. And in 2016, the Perth Mint began an annual bullion Silver Kangaroo series that complemented their Silver Kookaburra and Silver Koala series

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The Kangaroo as a Symbol of Australia

The Kangaroo is a marsupial native to Australia. Featuring powerful, spring-like hind legs meant for leaping, a strong tail meant for balance, and a pouch meant for holding its young, the Kangaroo can grow over 6 feet tall. As mentioned above, the creature is indisputably tied to Australia, the only country that it inhabits naturally. It is a symbol of the Australian Nation and appears on the National Coat of Arms alongside an Emu.

The Perth Mint’s Silver Kangaroo Series

While the Kangaroo has appeared on circulating Australian coinage for years, the Perth Mint debuted its versions of the Silver Kangaroo for the first time in 1993 by releasing a gorgeous proof coin. To this day, the Perth Mint annually releases a Proof Silver Kangaroo that features limited mintages, and since 2010 has even been releasing a High Relief Proof Silver Kangaroo every year. These coins are twice as thick as normal Proof coins and take multiple strikes to fully capture all the details and depth of a design. High Relief coins are generally considered to be a Mint’s masterwork due to the difficulty in making them.  This difficulty also means that the mintage on the Silver Kangaroo High Relief is significantly lower than the regular Silver Kangaroo counterpart.  Each year, the mintage of these High Relief Silver Kangaroo coins is only 20,000. There are also some gilded variants that have slightly different designs than their non-gilded counterparts. 

In 2016, the Perth Mint began issuing an annual bullion Silver Kangaroo series that would compliment their existing Silver Kookaburra and Silver Koala series. Struck from 1 ounce of .9999 fine silver, these brilliant uncirculated Silver Kangaroos were a welcome addition to the annual Perth Bullion series that all honor various Australian fauna. The obverse of the Perth Mint Silver Kangaroo features whatever effigy of Queen Elizabeth II that is currently being used by the Mint, while the reverse features a Kangaroo in mid-leap, surrounded by detailed, radial lines that emanate towards the frosted rim.  This annual bullion series also allows collectors to add large quantities of .9999 fine silver struck with an iconic design by ordering rolls or even monster boxes of Silver Kangaroos.  

The Royal Australian Mint’s Silver Kangaroo Series

The Royal Australian Mint also strikes the emblematic marsupial on the circulating coinage of Australia as well as on its own series of collectible Silver Kangaroo coins that debuted in 1993. The Silver Kangaroo coins released by the Royal Australian Mint are characterized by artistic representations of the kangaroo on stunning proof silver coins. The Royal Australian Mint’s Silver Kangaroo series celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2018, which was marked by the release of a special coin and bar set.

Where Is the Kangaroo Silver Coin Minted?

The animal is so intricately linked to Australia that both country’s renowned Mints, the Perth Mint and the Royal Australian Mint, annually release Silver Kangaroo coins to the delight of collectors around the world. With a history of excellence, an assortment of sizes, a variety of finishes as well as high relief and gilded options available, from day one, Australian Silver Kangaroo coins have been synonymous with both excellence and the essential spirit of its issuing Nation. Keep reading to learn more about one of the most quintessentially Australian coins that you could add to your collection, the Silver Kangaroo. 

The Kangaroo as a Symbol of Australia

The Kangaroo is a marsupial native to Australia. Featuring powerful, spring-like hind legs meant for leaping, a strong tail meant for balance, and a pouch meant for holding its young, the Kangaroo can grow over 6 feet tall. As mentioned above, the creature is indisputably tied to Australia, the only country that it inhabits naturally. It is a symbol of the Australian Nation and appears on the National Coat of Arms alongside an Emu.

The Perth Mint’s Australian Silver Kangaroo Coin Series

While the Kangaroo has appeared on circulating Australian coinage for years, the Perth Mint debuted its versions of the Silver Kangaroo for the first time in 1993 by releasing a gorgeous proof coin. To this day, the Perth Mint annually releases a Proof Silver Kangaroo coin that features limited mintages, and since 2010 has even been releasing a High Relief Proof Silver Kangaroo every year.

The obverse and reverse designs of the Perth Mint’s 2022 Silver Kangaroo coin.The obverse and reverse designs of the Perth Mint’s 2022 Silver Kangaroo coin.

High Relief Proof Silver Kangaroo Coin

These coins are twice as thick as normal Proof coins and take multiple strikes to fully capture all the details and depth of a design. High Relief coins are generally considered to be a Mint’s masterwork due to the difficulty in making them.  This difficulty also means that the mintage on the Silver Kangaroo High Relief tends to be significantly lower than the regular Silver Kangaroo counterpart.  There are also some gilded variants that have slightly different designs than their non-gilded counterparts, as well as colorized proofs, and various denominations.

Annual Bullion Silver Kangaroo Coins

In 2016, the Perth Mint began issuing an annual bullion Silver Kangaroo series that would complement their existing Silver Kookaburra and Silver Koala series.

How Much Silver Is in an Australian Silver Kangaroo Coin?

Struck from 1 ounce of .9999 fine silver, these brilliant uncirculated Silver Kangaroos were a welcome addition to the annual Perth Bullion series that all honor various Australian fauna. The obverse of the Perth Mint Silver Kangaroo features whatever effigy of Queen Elizabeth II that is currently being used by the Mint, while the reverse features a Kangaroo in mid-leap, surrounded by detailed, radial lines that emanate towards the frosted rim.  Unlike the Perth Mint’s proof versions whose reverse designs do change each year, the bullion reverse design remains unchanging.  This annual bullion series also allows collectors to add large quantities of .9999 fine silver struck with an iconic design by ordering rolls or even monster boxes of Silver Kangaroos. 

The Royal Australian Mint’s Silver Kangaroo Series

The Royal Australian Mint also strikes the emblematic marsupial on the circulating coinage of Australia as well as on its own series of collectible Silver Kangaroo coins that debuted in 1993. The Silver Kangaroo coins released by the Royal Australian Mint are characterized by artistic representations of the kangaroo on stunning proof, brilliant uncirculated, and frosted uncirculated silver coins. The Royal Australian Mint’s Silver Kangaroo series celebrated its 25th Anniversary in 2018, which was marked by the release of a special coin and bar set.

The obverse and reverse designs of Royal Australian Mint’s silver kangaroo coin.The obverse and reverse designs of Royal Australian Mint’s silver kangaroo coin.

What Is the Difference Between the Royal Australian Mint’s Silver Kangaroo Coins and the Perth Mint’s Silver Kangaroo Coins?

The key differences between the Royal Australian Mint’s Silver Kangaroo and the Perth Mint’s are primarily the reverse designs, but sometimes also the finishes that the coins are struck with. The Royal Australian Mint’s Silver Kangaroo coins are traditionally issued in proof and either frosted uncirculated or brilliant uncirculated finishes,while the Perth Mint has annual silver bullion brilliant uncirculated releases of the country’s marsupial in addition to High Relief Proofs and on occasion, special finishes like Reverse Gilded Proofs.  

The Royal Australian Mint is the younger of the two production facilities, having been established in 1965. The Royal Australian Mint is the sole producer of the country’s circulating coinage that eventually replaced the Melbourne Mint. Since 1993 and much like its counterpart – the Perth Mint – the Royal Australian Mint has had an annual issue of its Silver Kangaroo-themed coin in proof, and either frosted uncirculated or brilliant uncirculated versions.

The Perth Mint, established in 1899 as a branch of Great Britain’s Royal Mint, transferred its authority to that of Western Australia in 1970 and is the official bullion-producing facility of Australia. While they do strike extraordinary collectible coins to include proof and high relief proof variants, they are more widely known for their annual bullion releases.

Collecting Australia’s Silver Kangaroo Coins

Not only has the design of the Silver Kangaroo coins evolved but also the purity. In 1993, with the first releases of the Silver Kangaroo, the silver only had a purity of 99.9%. In 2016 the Perth Mint upped the standard to a purity of 99.99% of pure silver.

In 2016, bullion Silver Kangaroo coins had a new design concept that was introduced by the Perth Mint. Proofs from both the Perth Mint and the Royal Australian Mint feature one year only designs, while the Perth’s bullion release features the same design.  With a beveled design encompassing both the kangaroo and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, these modernized coins testify to the advancement of minting technology.

As a further testament to minting technology, in 2022, the Perth Mint also started to include an enhanced security and “authentication feature”  in the form of a micro-laser engraved letter within the design that is only visible under a magnifying glass.

Purchasing Kangaroo Silver Coins at GovMint

Whether you are a seasoned collector of Silver Kangaroo coins or new, GovMint.com has been an industry expert in numismatics and rare coin collectibles since 1984. With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), we can ensure with the highest degree of confidence that any commemorative coin purchased from us will be handled through trustworthy operations and the good faith our customer service provides.