Australian Gold
Table of Contents
The first prospector to discover gold in Australia was Edward Hargraves, who found it in 1851 near Orange, Australia, about 100 miles west of Sydney. He named the site Ophir, and the ensuing gold rushes continued until 1914. Over the years, the Australian continent has produced a large portion of the world’s gold; with China and South Africa, it has been one of the top three producers.
Much of the gold jewelry coming from Australia is produced using 9-karat gold (i.e. 37.5% purity). Other gold from the continent can be 14-karat (58.5% gold) in quality. Much of the designs used for Australian gold jewelry resemble those found in England, Ireland or Scotland. These designs can include necklaces, earrings, bracelets, brooches, and rings, among other things.
Typically, gold jewelry bears markings that indicate what kind of purity or karat rating the alloy is. Regardless, the professionals at Crown Gold Exchange test each item that enters our store for purity using industry standard equipment. This ensures an accurate measurement, which enables us to make you a competitive offer for your gold. This is critical when you bring us items that differ in purity, or a single item made using different gold alloys.
Gold Bullion and Coins
Being a British Colony, Australia uses many of the same coins as Great Britain. However, Australia’s supply of coins comes from Australia. Listed below are the common gold bullion coins made by the Royal Australian Mint located in Perth.
Australian Gold Coins
½ Sovereign
Sovereign
2 Pounds
5 Pounds
100 Dollars
150 Dollars
200 Dollars
250 Dollars
Australian Nugget or Kangaroo
First introduced in 1986, the Australian Gold Nugget (aka Australian Kangaroo) is the bullion coin minted at the Perth Mint. “Bullion coin” means that it has the same standard for purity as standard gold bullion: 99.5% purity or higher, although the Kangaroo is 99.99% pure gold. Beginning with the 1986 coin, the early editions featured a gold nugget on one side. Starting with the 1989 proof edition, the nugget was replaced with a kangaroo. Each year, the mint modifies this design somewhat. The reverse side however, remains the same each year, and shows Queen Elizabeth of England. Every version features a milled edge.
The Australian Kangaroo comes in the following sizes: 1/20 ounce, 1/10 ounce, ¼-ounce, ½-ounce, 1-ounce, 2-ounce, 10-ounce, and Kilo. The most popular size is the 1-ounce size, which bears a face value of 100 dollars.
Australian Lunar Cycle
In 1996, the Australian government decided to mint a series of collectable gold coins to commemorate the Chinese Lunar New Year cycle. These bullion coins are quite popular with bullion and numismatic collectors; the collection features 12 different coins, one for each year in the Chinese Lunar cycle. That means that there were gold bullion coins for the rat (for 1996), followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
An interesting fact about these series is that the sets come in different sizes. There are ½-ounce coins, 1-ounce coins, 2-ounce coins, and other sizes. If you are uncertain about the value of your coin, call or stop by one of our Southland locations. We would be happy to help you out.
Perth Mint Gold Bars
The Perth Mint is the official bullion mint of Australia. Established in 1899, this mint takes its name from the western city of Perth where it is located. It produces gold and silver bars, as well as gold, platinum, and silver coins. This includes the aforementioned Gold Nugget (or Kangaroo), the Platinum Koala, the Silver Kookaburra, the Silver Kangaroo, and several other offerings.
Unlike the Perth Mint, the Royal Australian Mint produces denominations of the Australian dollar present in Australia’s current money supply. Given Australia’s membership in the British Federation, the Perth Mint also produced the gold Sovereign coins. These coins were also produced by the mints in Sydney and Melbourne, although those two mints are no longer operational.
Perth Mint gold bars come in the following sizes: 1-gram, 5-gram, 10-gram, 20-gram, 50-gram, 100-gram, 1-ounce and 10-ounce. Again, the Perth Mint is a bullion mint, and thus these bars are 99.99% pure 24-karat gold. The bars depict the Perth Mint’s swan logo on the front, and kangaroos on the back. The gold bars generally come sealed in a plastic assay card.
Other Coins associated with Australia
The Australian Koala is a platinum coin with a number of different denominations, including: 5 Dollars (or 1/20 ounce), 15 Dollars (1/10 ounce), 25 Dollars (¼-ounce), 50 Dollars (½-ounce), 100 Dollars (1-ounce), 200 Dollars (2-ounce), 1000 Dollars (10-ounce), and 3000 Dollars (or 1-kilo).
New Zealand has a 150-dollar denomination gold coin.
The island nation of Niue makes several denominations of gold coins, ranging from 10 dollars to 250 dollars.
Come to Crown Gold Exchange to sell Australian Gold
When you come to Crown Gold Exchange, the first thing you will notice is the friendliness of our staff. For ten years now, we have upheld a standard of excellence when it comes to customer service, and are committed to maintaining that standard. We do this out of our desire to provide a positive experience for our customers.
We have nine convenient locations throughout the Southland. Regardless of which one you visit, you can expect to be greeted by one of our professionally trained buyers, who will sit with you and examine your items in your presence. We never take your item out of your sight, and use only the finest equipment to weigh it and test it for purity.
Taking these extra steps to obtain an accurate measurement enables us to make the most competitive offer: We know how much your item is worth on the secondary market, and so we know how much it is worth to us. Many of our customers continue to come to us with their products, because they know we pay top dollar. We do this confidently, knowing that we are providing our customers with good value, while still protecting our own bottom line.
Our offer is based on the spot price of gold at the time of sale. We never pressure you to sell. If you agree to the offer, we pay you on the spot using one of our many secure payment methods, so you won’t be waiting around.
If you are considering visiting one of our locations with an item and you want us to quote you a price, we recommend calling ahead to make an appointment. This ensures that one of our associates will be available to help you. Also feel free to call us with any questions you may have. Remember, we are here to help you get the most for your item. We look forward to speaking with you!