Today's featured coin is the 1oz Silver 2019 Australian Kookaburra coin struck by The Perth Mint. This coin depicts a kookaburra perched on a tree branch protruding out of the water with the sun setting in the background.
This post will focus specifically on the following 2019 Australian Kookaburra coin design types:
- Bullion Coin - The Bullion coin sizes issued in 2019 were the 1oz, 10oz and 1kg coins.
- Privy Coin - The Privy coin design discussed in this post is the Square Penny privy mark.
- Coloured Coin - The Coloured coin has special inks transferred onto the coin using a process known as pad-printing.
- Proof High Relief Coin - The High Relief coin is a high quality proof coin issued in a display case and outer box.
Bullion Coins
Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 1oz Silver 2019 Australian Kookaburra bullion coin was 500,000 and the declared mintage was 219,660. The coin was issued as legal tender under the authority of Australia with a denomination of one dollar. The bullion coin sizes issued in 2019 were the 1oz, 10oz and the 1kg coins. The table below shows the maximum mintage and declared mintage totals.
| Year | Denomination | Description | Maximum Mintage | Declared Mintage |
| 2019 | $30 | 1kg Bullion Kookaburra Coin 2019 | unlimited | 15,084 |
| 2019 | $10 | 10oz Bullion Kookaburra Coin 2019 | unlimited | 12,108 |
| 2019 | $1 | 1oz Bullion Kookaburra Coin 2019 | 500,000 | 219,660 |
Coin Purity
The 2019 edition of the Australian Kookaburra Bullion coins have a purity of .9999 fine silver, the previous editions of the coins prior to 2018 had a purity of .999 silver.
Coin Details
| Mint/Brand: | The Perth Mint |
| Silver Content: | 1 Troy Ounce |
| Purity: | .9999 Fine Silver |
| Denomination: | $1 (Australian) |
| Year of Issue: | 2019 |
| Edge: | Milled |
| Weight: | 31.135g |
| Diameter: | 40.60mm |
| Thickness: | 2.98mm |
| Maximum Mintage: | 500,000 |
| Declared Mintage: | 219,660 |
Design
The reverse of the Bullion coin depicts a kookaburra perched on a tree branch protruding out of the water with the sun setting in the background. The design includes an inscription 'Australian Kookaburra', the 'P' mintmark, and the year 2019.
The obverse of the coin portrays the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian 1 Dollar.
Square Penny Privy Mark Coin
Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 2019 Perth Show 1oz Silver Australian Kookaburra with Square Penny privy mark, was extremely limited at 2,000 coins. The coin was packaged in coloured card to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Australian Kookaburra Square Penny. This packaging was exclusive to the 2019 Perth Money Expo.
You can read more about the Australian Square Penny coin in one of my previous posts: 2002 Silver Proof Australian Kookaburra 1/2oz Square Coin. This post discusses the history of the square kookaburra penny ‘patterns’ minted between 1919 - 1921 as a trial, but were never officially distributed as legal tender.
Design
The reverse of the coin for the Square Penny privy design depicts the same 2019 kookaburra perched on a tree branch protruding out of the water, with the addition of the Square Penny privy mark to the right of the tree branch. The design includes an inscription 'Australian Kookaburra', the 'P' mintmark, and the year 2019.
The obverse of the coin portrays the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian 1 Dollar.
Coloured Coin
Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 2019 World Money Fair 1oz Silver 2019 Australian Kookaburra coins with Square Penny privy mark, was extremely limited at 1,500 coins. The vibrancy of the outer packaging and the illuminating colour on the coin made this design very popular.
Pad-Printing Process
If you would like to read more about the pad-printing process that The Perth Mint uses to transfer the special inks onto the coloured coins, visit the link to The Perth Mint blog post: How Does The Perth Mint Colour Coins?
Design
The reverse of the coin depicts the same 2019 kookaburra perched on a tree branch protruding out of the water. The bright colours of this coin are stunning, the purple and yellow sunset brings the kookaburra in the foreground to life. The design includes an inscription 'Australian Kookaburra', the 'P' mintmark, and the year 2019.
The obverse of the coin portrays the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian 1 Dollar.
The 1oz Coloured coin was presented in a classic grey clam shell box, within a beautifully illustrated outer box, and accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity.
Proof High Relief Coin
Mintage
The maximum mintage of the 1oz Silver 2019 Australian Kookaburra High Relief, was limited to 5,000 coins. The finish of these coins is exceptional, with raised milled edges and the design deeply etched into the coin.
Coin Details
| Mint/Brand: | The Perth Mint |
| Silver Content: | 1 Troy Ounce |
| Purity: | .9999 Fine Silver |
| Denomination: | $1 (Australian) |
| Year of Issue: | 2019 |
| Edge: | Milled |
| Weight: | 31.135g |
| Diameter: | 32.60mm |
| Thickness: | 6.00mm |
| Maximum Mintage: | 5,000 |
Design
The reverse of the coin depicts the same 2019 kookaburra perched on a tree branch protruding out of the water. The background of the coin has a mirrored finish.
The obverse of the coin portrays the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian 1 Dollar, and the year 2019.
The 2019 Australian Kookaburra 1oz Proof High Relief coin was presented in a sleek black display case with a clear perspex lid. The Perth Mint swan logo is present on the bottom left corner of the lid. The outer box is blue with the illustration of a Kookaburra, accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity.
Coin Purchase Quantity
The Australian Kookaburra 1oz coins are sold as single coins, in sealed rolls of twenty 1oz coins or you can purchase a 100oz box that includes five sealed rolls of twenty 1oz coins. The advantage of buying in higher quantities is that the bullion dealers offer volume breaks or discounts the more coins you buy.
Coin Display
There are many options on how best to store and display your Australian Kookaburra 1oz coin collection. One great option is to purchase a purpose built presentation box. There are different varieties out there, but the one in the photo below holds up to twenty 1oz Silver Kookaburra coins. The black velour-lined tray is designed to fit 1oz Silver Kookaburra coins in their original mint capsules.
Coin Protection
Each 1oz Silver Kookaburra coin is stored in their original mint plastic capsules. It is highly recommended that you keep your silver bullion coins in their capsules 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 1oz 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.
