As we’ve seen over the last few months, the Perth Mint like to have a good mix of coins in its release runs and May is no exception. There’s a bit of gold this month, a mirrored version of last years Kimberley Sunrise 2oz coin, this time in standard instead of rose gold, and the usual Australian Sovereign, so nothing truly new.

Silver can be split into two distinct camps, proof versions of bullion coins, and coloured coins for the gift market. The former are popular with collectors, the latter, especially with the subjects below, are heavily biased towards the gift market. It’s exactly what you’d expect. Star Trek is back with a most unusual choice of design. Taken from the series Deep Space 9, the currency favoured by one of its primary races the Ferengi, this one looks like a cast bar with some lettering stamped onto it. The silver bar is then gilded. It’s quite a niche choice given the breadth and depth of the licence itself, but our big disappointment with this isn’t that it’s not a coin, not carrying any denomination or issuer is no big deal for a cast bar, but $129 for an ounce of gilded silver certainly is. At almost six times the spot price, we’d have a hard time recommending this one, whatever the links to the cult series. We’re still waiting for killer Star Trek coins from Perth.

All the coins are available to order from the Perth Mint website now, or from one of the many dealers worldwide that stock their product.

Other coins due next month are

• 80th Anniversary of The Phantom 2016 1oz Silver Medallion
• Australian Kangaroo 2016 1oz Silver Gilded Edition
• Australian Kookaburra 2016 1 Kilo Silver Proof Coin
• Australian Stock Horse 2016 5oz Gold Proof Coin
• Dirk Hartog 2016 1oz Silver Proof Coin
• Norse God – Thor 2016 2oz Silver High Relief Antiqued Coin

All will be released from 07 June. This months releases are available now from the Perth Mint website or from one of their many dealers worldwide.

2016 STAR TREK GOLD-PRESSED LATINUM SLIP

In the science fiction series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, latinum was a rare silver coloured liquid of extremely high value prized by many civilizations in the Alpha Quadrant, particularly the Ferengi Alliance. In order to be used as tradable currency, liquid latinum was suspended within gold or gold dust to form the end product, gold-pressed latinum. The gold served only as a carrier for the latinum and was worthless to the Ferengi.

There were several denominations of gold-pressed latinum, the smallest being the slip, followed by the strip, the bar, and the brick. One bar of gold-pressed latinum is equal to twenty strips or 2,000 slips of latinum. Each denomination features a maker’s mark for authenticity.

The reverse of the bar resembles a gold-pressed latinum slip as used in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. The design includes the maker’s mark.

Each coin is presented in a special wooden case, with an illustrated shipper and numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Designed by Jennifer McKenna. Priced at $129.00 AUD.

SPECIFICATION

2016 KOOKABURRA HIGH RELIEF

The Australian Kookaburra is the largest member of the kingfisher species and is synonymous with the Australian outback.

The Perth Mint will release no more than 8,000 of the 2016 Australian Kookaburra 1oz Silver Proof High Relief Coin in this packaging out of a worldwide mintage of 10,000. The Perth Mint will release no more than 1,000 of the 2016 Australian Kookaburra 5oz Silver Proof High Relief Coins worldwide.

The reverse of the coin depicts a kookaburra perched on a fence post amidst an Australian landscape. The design includes the inscription AUSTRALIAN KOOKABURRA, The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark, and the 2016 year-date. The obverse of the coin depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the monetary denomination.

The 2016 Australian Kookaburra Silver Proof High Relief Coin is packaged in a classic Perth Mint display case within an illustrated shipper, and is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Designed by Natasha Muhl. Priced at $485.00 AUD (5oz) and $109.00 (1oz).

SPECIFICATION

2016 KIMBERLEY SUNRISE 2oz

Following the success of the Kimberley Sunset coin, released in 2015, this second coin release completes the duo. The coin features the mirror image of the Kimberley Sunset design and is set with a fine white diamond to symbolise the light that the dawn of a new day brings.

In the far north of Western Australia is the unique wilderness of the Kimberley. Home to vast wildlife sanctuaries, spectacular gorges, crystal blue oceans, caves, and rock formations, it is a land of breathtaking contrasts.

The Kimberley is host to some of the world’s most magnificent sunrises which light the dawn sky with hues of radiant gold, bright orange, dark greys, and smoky purples. This spectacular lightshow illuminates the horizon with fiery light, providing a magical start to the day.

The iconic boab tree, native to the Kimberley region, has a large rotund base and a network of twisting branches. The image of these beautiful trees backlit by the breathtaking sunrise at dawn has become symbolic of the area.

The coin’s reverse depicts the boab tree amid a Kimberley landscape at sunrise. A fine white diamond embedded near the horizon represents the rising sun. The design includes the inscription KIMBERLEY SUNRISE, the 2016 year-date, and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark. The coin’s obverse depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the monetary denomination. The coin’s high relief reverse and obverse are minted on concave surfaces to ensure the optimum flow of metal is achieved by the strike of the die.

Each coin is housed in a black designer case, and is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Designed by Tom Vaughan. Priced at $7688.00 AUD.

SPECIFICATION

2016 KOALA 1kg PROOF

The Perth Mint is pleased to present the spectacular 1 kilo Australian Koala Silver Proof Coin, featuring one of Australia’s most loved marsupials. The koala is well-adapted to Australia’s dry conditions as they do not actually require water to drink. Receiving all the moisture they need from eucalyptus leaves, koalas spend most of their time in these trees for this reason, and because they are known to sleep among the shaded branches for up to 20 hours each day.

The coin’s reverse depicts an adult koala walking along the branch of a eucalyptus tree. The design includes the inscription AUSTRALIAN KOALA, The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark, and the 2016 year-date.

Each coin is housed in a classic grey display case with a specially designed illustrated shipper and accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Designed by Ing Ing Jong. Priced at $1750.00 AUD.

SPECIFICATION

2016 LANGUAGE OF LOVE

Love is a powerful emotion which affects us all, bringing joy and empowering us to do incredible things. There are more than 6,500 spoken languages in the world and more than seven billion people living on our magnificent planet. While we may speak thousands of different languages, no matter where you are in the world, the language of love is the one language that is truly universal.

The reverse of the coin depicts the word ‘love’ translated into many different languages including English, Greek, Arabic, French, Russian, Maori, Korean, German, Hindi, and Vietnamese, among others. The English translation is coloured red, and the design includes small decorative hearts, lips, two doves, and Cupid drawing his bow. The design includes The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark. The obverse of the coin portrays the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the monetary denomination, and the 2016 year-date.

Each coin is housed in a classic grey presentation case and presented in a stunningly themedshipper, accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Designed by Natasha Muhl. Priced at $179.00 AUD.

SPECIFICATION

2016 AUSTRALIAN SOVEREIGN

The discovery of payable gold in the colony of New South Wales in 1851 lay behind the establishment of the Sydney branch of the Royal Mint, which opened on 14 May 1855. The Sydney Mint produced its first Type I sovereign, featuring a unique ‘colonial’ design, on 23 June. There ensued an unbroken 76-year history of gold sovereign production in Australia. Over 400 million coins were created in Sydney, and at Royal Mint branches opened later in Melbourne and Perth. From 1871 the coins featured Imperial designs with the addition of ‘S’, ‘M’ or ‘P’ mintmarks respectfully, to identify their place of manufacture. The various combinations of these features and monarchs means that today’s collectors must find almost 200 different Australian sovereigns to complete a set.

Customising the original Sydney Mint Sovereign to read Perth Mint, this coin represents a modern adaptation of this important part of Australia’s history. Made with meticulous attention to detail, the 2016 coin is struck from traditional 91.67% pure gold (22-carat) in supreme proof quality.

The coin’s reverse portrays St Edward’s crown, a laurel wreath and the word AUSTRALIA, historic elements of Leonard Charles Wyon’s original Type I reverse. The modern tribute also includes the inscription PERTH MINT and SOVEREIGN. The coin’s obverse depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the monetary denomination and 2016 year-date.

The coin is housed in a prestigious wooden presentation case with superbly illustrated shipper and wrap, accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Designed by Ing Ing Jong. Priced at $699.00 AUD.

SPECIFICATION

2016 THE CUBS – JAGUAR

The jaguar is the third largest feline in the world after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Americas. Jaguars are spotted cats, similar in appearance to leopards; however, they are generally larger and more strongly built, with behaviours closer to that of the tiger.

While dense rainforest is the jaguar’s preferred habitat, they can be found across a variety of forested and open terrains. The jaguar is strongly associated with water, and it often prefers to live by rivers and swamps, with thick cover for stalking prey. Jaguar cubs are born with their eyelids sealed shut. After about two weeks, the young are able to see for the first time, and after six months, the cubs’ mother will teach them how to hunt. When they are two years old, the cubs will leave their mother to live on their own.

The coin’s reverse features two coloured jaguar cubs playing in a jungle in front of an Incan temple. The inscription CUBS and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark also appear in the design. The coin’s obverse depicts the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the 2016 year-date, and the monetary denomination.

The coin is housed in a classic display case inside a beautifully illustrated shipper, with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Designed by Tom Vaughan. Priced at $65.00 AUD.

SPECIFICATION