Today's featured coin is the 2003 Australian Kookaburra 10oz Evolution of the Alphabet coin struck by The Perth Mint. The Evolution series was a five coin series, the 2003 Evolution of the Alphabet was the third coin in the series.
The other coins released as part of the 10oz Evolution series were:
- Abstract and Vivid (2001 Evolution of the Calendar)
- Eternity (2002 Evolution of Time)
- Numeracy (2004 Evolution of Numbers)
- Enlightenment (2005 Evolution of Knowledge)
For those of you who read my post last night: Sneak Peak - Coin Reveal, may have already guessed this coin design in the comments of that post, if not, then this is the grand reveal.
Contents
In this series of posts I will write about a specific special collector coin that I currently own in my stack or that I would love to own one day.
This post will focus solely on the 2003 Australian Kookaburra 10oz Evolution of the Alphabet coin. The contents of each post will follow the same format and cover 5 topics, as listed below:
- Coin Story
- Coin Packaging
- Coin Details
- Coin Design
- Coin Protection
1. Coin Story
The 10oz Silver Evolution series coins are extremely sort after and attract a very healthy premium on the secondary market. I was actually able to find a sold listing ebay.com.au from December 2020 for this specific coin design. The 10oz coin sold for US $535.00. That is a very good result for the seller when the current spot price for ten ounces of silver is US $264.30.
Some of you may have read my post a few nights ago: Evolution of Numbers, which goes into the back story on how I was able to find this coin and the Evolution of Numbers 10oz coin.
I will provide a re-cap for all the new readers. I was out on my lunch break at work when I popped into what was my local coin shop back then. I was amazed to see the 2003 Evolution of the Alphabet coin and the 2004 Evolution of Numbers coin sitting in the display window next to each other.
I had to gain my composure and temper my excitement before I entered the coin shop. I calmly greeted the coin shop owner and asked him if I could have a look at both coins. He opened the cabinet and handed me both coins.
When I looked at the price tags of each coin, I was very pleasantly surprised with the prices listed. The coins had a slight premium over a normal 10oz kookaburra coin, but not by much. I bought both coins without any hesitation. I walked out of the coin shop that day a very happy man.
While I am very happy that I have two of the five Evolution series coins, I am still on the hunt for the remaining three coin designs for a reasonable price. If I was told that I was only allowed to add one more of the Evolution series coin designs to my stack, the one that I would choose without a shadow of a doubt would be the 2002 Evolution of Time 10oz coin.
The 2002 Evolution of Time 10oz coin is arguably one of my favourite coin designs ever issued by The Perth Mint. I would say that it is most likely the most sort after coin design in the Evolution series.
2. Coin Packaging
Each coin is packaged in a beautifully illustrated blue outer box, with the words 'THE AUSTRALIAN KOOKABURRA' and 'EVOLUTION COMPANION SERIES'. The 10oz Silver coin is presented in a sleek black case with a clear perspex lid and accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity.
3. Coin Details
a. Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 10oz Silver 2003 Australian Kookaburra Evolution Series proof coin was 1,500 and the declared mintage was 779 coins. The coin was issued as legal tender under the authority of Australia with a denomination of ten dollars.
b. Purity
The 2003 edition of the Australian Kookaburra Evolution Series coin has a purity of .999 fine silver.
c. Details
| Mint/Brand: | The Perth Mint |
| Silver Content: | 10 Troy Ounces |
| Purity: | .999 Fine Silver |
| Denomination: | $10 (Australian) |
| Year of Issue: | 2003 |
| Edge: | Milled |
| Weight: | 311.035g |
| Diameter: | 75.50mm |
| Maximum Mintage: | 1,500 |
| Declared Mintage: | 779 |
4. Coin Design
a. Reverse Design
The reverse of the coin depicts symbols from languages from around the world with ancient languages including Egyptian hieroglyphs. At the centre of the coin is a stylised A-Z design, with the word 'ALPHA' above the A and 'OMEGA' below the Z.
The design includes an inscription 'AUSTRALIAN KOOKABURRA', the words 'EVOLUTION OF THE ALPHABET', the coin weight '10oz' and purity '999 SILVER'.
a. Obverse Design
The obverse of the coin portrays the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian '10 DOLLARS', with the words 'ELIZABETH II' and 'AUSTRALIA'.
5. Coin Protection
This 10oz Silver Kookaburra coin should be stored in its original mint plastic capsule. It is highly recommended to keep any silver coin in their capsule to prevent tarnishing of the coin. If the original plastic capsule gets scratched, damaged or cracks, you can buy new plastic capsules from your trusted bullion dealer.
When handling your 10oz Silver Kookaburra coins, for extra protection use a pair of cotton gloves. Cotton gloves protect your silver coins from oils in your fingers that may cause discoloration, damaging the finish of the coin. I have formed the habit to use cotton gloves even when I am handling silver coins in their plastic capsules.
