Gold Wedge-Tailed Eagle

The Wedge-Tailed Eagle

The Wedge-Tailed Eagle is native to several locations including Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and of course, Australia. With the ability to grow a wingspan of up to 9 feet, it is the largest predatory bird that inhabits the Australian continent. The Eagle has been adopted as a symbol of the Northern Australian Territory. It appears as an emblem of police stations and air forces across the nation. The bird is terribly smart and is even known to hunt together in teams to take down larger prey which sometimes includes small kangaroos.

A Brief History of the Perth Mint’s Wedge-Tailed Eagle Series

As mentioned above, this series was born out of the historic collaboration between the renowned Perth Mint and the legendary John Mercanti. Mercanti was the 10^th Chief Engraver of the United States Mint and although he had been retired for some years when he designed this series, the significance of this partnership cannot be downplayed. During his time at the Mint, Mercanti was responsible for numerous iconic designs, perhaps most well-known is the reverse of the American Silver Eagle.

A total of five designs have been released since the series inception in 2014 with several being used for more than one year. The obverse always features an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse features a different portrayal of the Wedge-Tailed Eagle. In 2014 and 2015, the design featured an intricately designed image of the Eagle in flight, while in 2016 and 2017, the Eagle perched on a dead tree branch. 2018 featured the only Wedge-Tailed Eagle design that would be used for a single year, featured a touching familial portrait. The latest release, the 2019 addition, featured the fearsome bird soaring high in the sky, about to snatch its next meals in its clasping talons.

A Variety of Gold Wedge Tailed Eagle Sizes

As one of Perth Mint’s yearly releases, the Gold Wedge Tailed Eagle is a collector favorite.  From its immaculate, yearly designs from John Mercanti to the majesty of the bird of prey that the series portrays, and its impressively pure gold content, the gold variation of the Wedge-Tailed Eagle is also met with great fanfare from collectors around the globe. Gold Wedge-Tailed Eagles come in a variety of sizes as well, ranging from the tiny, yet affordable  1/10^th of an ounce all the way to 5 full ounces of 99.99% gold, so it is easy to find the exact type of gold coin you’re looking for.  Whether it’s a Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) graded High Relief Gold Wedge-Tailed Eagle featuring a Mercanti signed label or an uncirculated 1/10^th oz. Gold Wedge-Tailed Eagle coin, this annual series has a slew of different options to choose from.

In an immaculate, yearly design from John Mercanti, the majesty of the bird of prey is impressively portrayed in pure gold content. This gold variation of the Wedge-Tailed Eagle has been met with great fanfare from collectors around the globe. This Gold Wedge-Tailed Eagle coin is a major testament to the skill and artistic inclination of both the designer, John Mercanti, and the Perth Mint itself.

The obverse of these coin series always features an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and each Gold Wedge-Tailed Eagle coin contains a denomination of 100 Australian Dollars for 1 ounce issues.

The reverse of the Gold Wedge-Tailed Eagle coin is where these coins really shine. In 2014 and 2015, the design featured an intricately designed image of the Eagle in flight, while in 2016 and 2017, the Eagle perched on a dead tree branch. The year 2018 was the first year Wedge-Tailed Eagle design would be used for a single year, which has been the model ever since. In 2019, the design featured the fearsome bird closing in on its prey, and in 2021, the design showed the eagle in flight, clasping his latest meal, a snake, in its talons.

Australia’s Wedge-Tailed Eagle coin is struck by the Perth Mint as the country’s largest fully integrated precious metals organization. Owned by the Western Australian Government, the Perth Mint is the world’s only government-owned and guaranteed precious metals enterprise that is able to provide premium gold, silver, and platinum products to markets throughout the world.

The Wedge-Tailed Eagle is native to several locations including Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, and of course, Australia. With the ability to grow a wingspan of up to 9 feet, it is the largest predatory bird that inhabits the Australian continent. The Eagle has been adopted as a symbol of the Northern Australian Territory. It appears as an emblem of police stations and air forces across the nation. The bird is terribly smart and is even known to hunt together in teams to take down larger prey which sometimes includes small kangaroos.

As mentioned above, this series was born out of the historic collaboration between the renowned Perth Mint and the legendary John Mercanti. Mercanti was the 10th Chief Engraver of the United States Mint and although he had been retired for some years when he designed this series, the significance of this partnership cannot be downplayed. During his time at the Mint, Mercanti was responsible for numerous iconic designs, perhaps most well-known is the reverse of the American Silver Eagle.

A total of six designs have been released since the series inception in 2014 with several being used for more than one year. The obverse always features an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, while the reverse features a different portrayal of the Wedge-Tailed Eagle.

As one of Perth Mint’s yearly releases, the Australian Gold Wedge-Tailed Eagle coin is a collector favorite.  From its immaculate, yearly designs from John Mercanti to the majesty of the bird of prey that the series portrays, and its impressively pure gold content, the gold variation of the Wedge-Tailed Eagle is also met with great fanfare from collectors around the globe.

Gold Wedge Tailed Eagles are issued annually in a 1 ounce size that carries a $100 face value and in 2016 the Perth Mint introduced a 1/10th ounce $15 dollar version.

Just as the US Mint strikes the American Gold and Silver Eagle, the Royal Canadian Mint strikes the Gold and Silver Maple Leaf coin, while Australia’s Perth Mint strikes the Gold and Silver Wedge-Tail Eagle coins.

Conceived in 2014 from the renowned Perth Mint and former United States Mint Chief Engraver John Mercanti, the Wedge-Tailed Eagle coins mark the first time in numismatic history a former U.S. Mint employee and a foreign Mint worked together on a legal tender coin release. Both Silver and Gold Wedge-Tailed Eagle coins feature Australia’s largest bird of prey.

Thus far, the Wedge-Tailed Eagle series has featured a total of six designs over the course of its issuance, all composed by Mercanti. As a beautiful relatively new coin series, there is no better time to start adding these coins to any collector’s curated collection.

At GovMint.com, we have worldwide distribution (outside of Australia) on all 2021 Wedge Tailed Eagle coins. Since 1984, GovMint.com has been one of the largest collectible coin marketers in the United States. With a wide selection of rare and hard-to-find government-issue coins across the globe, our A+ BBB rating indicates the highest degree of confidence for trustworthy operations and good faith customer service. 

Gold Wedge-Tailed Eagle coins come in both BU and Proof releases, with some special releases on occasion (the first kilo released in 2021).

As an authorized dealer for coins that are authenticated, certified, and graded by Numismatic Guaranty Corporation (NGC) and Professional Coin Grading Service (PCGS), GovMint.com has been able to provide collectors with the best of coins and the highest service, and the Silver Wedge-Tailed Eagle coin is no different.