The Perth Mint expands its eclectic range of coins sporting unusual centres with an hourglass issue

We haven’t covered Perth Mint issues as much as we should, mainly because they’ve leaned heavily into numismatic versions of their iconic bullion coins and there’s only so much you can write about those. However, we’ve missed a few goodies, so we’ll reverse that a little and cover some of the more interesting an unusual releases with increased regularity.

The issue this month that caught our attention was the latest of the Perth Mint’s loosely associated range of antique finished silver coins with unique central inserts. We do actually have a Coin Series Profile of the many releases, which started back in 2015, and I’d recommend a look to give you an idea of the the range of ideas infused into this series.

The latest is simply titled ‘Hourglass’ and has at its centre an actual miniature, and what looks to be a fully functional hourglass. A little gimmicky perhaps, but the surrounding coin design is another pretty one. People focus on the insert too much, we think, as the ‘border’ designs of many in this range are quite exquisite and worthy of attention. The Art Nouveau look at the phases of the moon, and the depiction of the sun is really well integrated into the coin as a whole. Jennifer McKenna has done fine work here.

There’s a mintage of 2,500 pieces, and the coin comes as neatly packaged as you’d expect of this Western Australian mint. The latex-skin ‘floating’ frame makes display easy, although we do prefer the solid acrylic frame becoming increasingly popular these days. Available from today with a recommended price of £259.00 AUD.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

Believed to have been invented in the eighth century, the hourglass used the flow of fine sand from one bulb to another in order to measure intervals of time with accuracy. As well as applications in religious and civic life, the hourglass was also useful to mariners. Despite being superseded by mechanical clocks, the hourglass remains relevant in modern culture symbolising the passage of time and the transience of all things.

REVERSE: portrays an astrological design incorporating sinuous, organic lines characteristic of art nouveau. Arranged around a central insert of a miniature hourglass, it includes stylised representations of the sun and moon with facial features, and phases of the moon – waxing, full and waning – embodying the passing of time. The design also features The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark.

OBVERSE: portrays the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, a ring of star motifs, as well as the coin’s weight, purity, monetary denomination and year-date.

PACKAGING: Accompanied by a numbered certificate of authenticity, the coin is
housed in a contemporary latex case that comes in an illustrated
shipper.

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $2 TVD (Tuvalu)
COMPOSITION 0.9999 silver
WEIGHT 62.213 grams
DIMENSIONS 45.6 mm
FINISH Antique
MODIFICATIONS Gilding, inset hourglass centre
MINTAGE 2,500
BOX / C.O.A. Yes / Yes