The Perth Mint launches the Australian Brumby bullion coin, a spiritual successor to the Stock Horse

A new addition to the Perth Mint’s interesting and relatively expansive range of bullion coins appears today courtesy of Hong Kong based dealer LPM. Of all the bullion ranges on the market, the nature-themed selection from this Western Australian mint is perhaps the most admired and eagerly awaited. One of their more popular series from the last decade was the Australian Stock Horse, which ran for five issues between 2013 and 2017 and was a celebration of an Australian icon.

Another iconic horse in this country where the animal isn’t native, is the Brumby, a feral horse that roams freely around much of Australia. Primarily found in the Northern Territories. they are occasionally domesticated, but generally have a life free of predators, if not that easy in, what is for a horse, a pretty tough environment. A great choice of subject, especially as the horse isn’t exactly a common numismatic subject in isolation, usually having a knight or similar plonked on its back.

The new silver coin is a typical 0.9999 fineness one from the Perth Mint with a 40.9 mm diameter and the Jody Clark effigy of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. The design by Perth Mint stalwart Jennifer McKenna, is really excellent, in our view. The horse depicted is full of life and anatomically superb, with nicely done water underfoot that enhances the feeling of fast movement. Inscriptions are to the point and unobtrusive, just as we like it.

This is a limited mintage coin, capped at 25,000 pieces, so just enough to make getting one relatively easy, but not too many to hinder any potential appreciation for collectors. Supplied encapsulated, this is a one format range for now, but with this mints extensive range of numismatic options, it would be nice to see a proof or high-relief variant at a later date, or even a gold bullion coin. Available to order from today at LPM and no doubt others over the next few days. A great debut.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

According to tradition, when soldier and pastoralist James Brumby was transferred from Sydney to Van Diemen’s Land in 1801, he was forced to release a number of horses into the bush. Known as Brumby’s horses and later as ‘brumbies’, the word came to mean wild horses.

Mobs of brumbies that most famously roam the Australian Alps today are descended from lost, abandoned or escaped horses that in many cases belonged to early British settlers like Brumby. Wild, independent, and successfully inhabiting a hostile environment, the brumby has become a national icon seen by many as symbolic of our national character.

REVERSE:  The coin’s reverse design portrays the brumby as a magnificent, unfettered beast, galloping with abandon through water. The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark, the weight and fineness and the 2020 year-date also appear in the design.

OBVERSE: The coin’s obverse bears the Jody Clark effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the monetary denomination.