Perth Mint kicks off the new year with a selection of popular culture and event coins

The first 2019 batch of releases from the ever popular Perth Mint is with us and as is traditional, it comprises the annual Happy Birthday, Wedding, and Newborn Baby coins. Tailor-made for the gift market, these are coloured proof silver coins in themed packaging and not aimed at the coin collector. An Opal Year of the Pig coin is also out for sale and we’ll add that to our guide later this week.

The last three coins point to the Perth Mint getting further into the popular culture market. This is made even more obvious with the announcement of three Simpsons themed coins for release in February. January sees Star Trek Discovery, Barbie and Looney Tunes doing the honours. Each is bright and colourful, but not exactly pushing numismatic boundaries. We’d like to see this talented coin producer try something more exacting for future coins. All are available to order now.

2019 LOONEY TUNES LOVESTRUCK

SHIPPERFRAME

Pretty much everyone loves Looney Tunes (much better than the saccharine Disney work, I think), and both the Royal Canadian Mint and the Perth Mint have released some nice coins in the past. This is a bright and colourful design, full of life, and sure to appeal to Looney fans. It’s pretty unadventurous as a coin though. A bog-standard 40.6mm, 1oz coloured silver coin is standard fare at the mint and we wished they would produce something a bit more adventurous from time to time.

The packaging is fine. A solid acrylic block frame like those popularised by the New Zealand Mint is employed to good effect and the whole thing is surely attractive to the memorabilia market. The coin sells for $115.00 AUD.

REVERSE: features BUGS BUNNY embracing his girlfriend LOLA BUNNY. As well as the red hearts surrounding the joyful couple, the design includes the  inscription LOVESTRUCK and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark.

OBVERSE: depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the monetary denomination, the weight and fineness, and the 2019 year-date.

PACKAGING: Each coin is presented in a clear acrylic case, allowing both sides of the coin to be displayed, and is packaged within a themed shipper. The coin is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. 

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $1 TVD (Tuvalu)
COMPOSITION 0.9999 silver 31.107 grams
DIMENSIONS 40.6 mm
FINISH Proof with colour
MINTAGE 5,000
BOX / COA Yes / Yes

2019 STAR TREK DISCOVERY

SHIPPERBOX

A series that has certainly split opinions since it debuted last year, Discovery is the sixth live-action Star Trek series to hit screens in the last half-century. There’s more coming of course – both Discovery and new series in development, so this ultra-iconic science-fiction franchise will no doubt be gracing coins for years to come.

Hopefully those future coins will be a bit more ambitious than this one. Another coloured silver coin in the clunky ‘transporter’ packaging does nothing to push the franchise forward sadly. The design is neat enough, but nothing we haven’t seen before. At $230.00 AUD for a two-ounce silver issue, it’s one for the hardcore fan.

REVERSE: Most prominent on the coin’s vividly coloured reverse design is First Officer Michael Burnham. Further reflecting the diversity of the crew are, clockwise to the right of Burnham, Sylvia Tilly, a cadet who works under Chief Engineer Paul Stamets and a roommate of Burnham; Voq/Ash Tyler, a Klingon who undergoes surgery to pose as a human; Stamets, who is the first openly gay character in a Star Trek series; Captain Gabriel Lorca; and First Officer Saru, the first of the Kelpiens species to enter Starfleet service.

OBVERSE: depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the monetary denomination, the weight and fineness, and the 2019 year-date.

PACKAGING: The coin is presented in a special edition Star Trek themed display case which lights up in blue when the lid is opened. Each coin is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $2 TVD (Tuvalu)
COMPOSITION 0.9999 silver 62.213 grams
DIMENSIONS 55.6 mm
FINISH Proof with colour
MINTAGE 2,000
BOX / COA Yes / Yes

2019 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF BARBIE

SHIPPERBOX

Another standard coloured one-ounce silver coin, this one celebrates 60 years of Barbie. If you like Barbie, you’ll probably like the coin. If you dont… The packaging is certainly something quite unique and we’ll let the pictures do the talking. Like the Looney Tunes coin, this will retail at $115.000 AUD

REVERSE: portrays Barbie™ in her first swimsuit outfit, the Holy Grail for all Barbie™ collectors. Included in the design is Barbie’s™ official 60th anniversary logo, including the words ‘INSPIRING GIRLS SINCE 1959’, and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark.

OBVERSE: depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the monetary denomination, the weight and fineness, and the 2019 year-date.

PACKAGING: Each coin is presented in a special edition BarbieTM themed display case in the style of a compact mirror, which lights up when the lid is opened. Each coin is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $1 TVD (Tuvalu)
COMPOSITION 0.9999 silver 31.107 grams
DIMENSIONS 40.6 mm
FINISH Proof with colour
MINTAGE 5,000
BOX / COA Yes / Yes