Perth Mint
Also: The Perth Mint, Gold Corporation
The Perth Mint is Australia's state-owned coin-minting institution, founded in 1899, and ranks among the world's most respected refineries and producers of investment gold, silver and platinum.
The Perth Mint is the official coin-minting institution and refinery of the Australian state of Western Australia. It opened in 1899 as the third and final branch of Britain's Royal Mint on Australian soil, and today it is owned by the Government of Western Australia, which operates it through the state-owned Gold Corporation. With more than 125 years of continuous operation, it counts among the oldest mints still active anywhere in the world and enjoys an outstanding international reputation for purity, precision and security standards.
History and significance
The Perth Mint was originally established to process gold mined in the Western Australian goldfields district around Kalgoorlie. After British Crown control ended in 1970, the state of Western Australia took the facility over entirely. Today the Perth Mint is not only a mint but also one of the world's most important refineries: it refines, processes and certifies precious metals from mining, from recycling and from the international market.
Australia is one of the largest gold producers on earth, and a substantial share of that output passes through the Perth Mint. That makes the institution a central hub within the global gold market.
Products and coin series
The Perth Mint issues a broad range of investment coins, collector coins and bars:
| Product | Metal | Fineness | Face value (AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Gold Kangaroo | Gold | 999.9 ‰ | 100 (1 oz) |
| Australian Silver Kangaroo | Silver | 999.9 ‰ | 1 |
| Australian Platinum Platypus | Platinum | 999.5 ‰ | 100 |
| Lunar series (I, II, III) | Gold / silver | 999.9 ‰ | variable |
| Perth Mint gold bar (LBMA) | Gold | 999.9 ‰ | – |
The Lunar series – coins based on the Chinese zodiac animals – is hugely popular with collectors worldwide and appears each year with a changing animal design. The silver coins of the Lunar series are a well-liked entry point for investment buyers.
Certification and authenticity
A defining feature of the Perth Mint is its Perth Mint Certificate Programme (PMCP): investors can have physical gold and silver stored, certified in their own name, in the mint's high-security vault without ever taking delivery. Each certificate represents a precisely defined share of LBMA-accredited fine gold or fine silver.
For coins and bars that are physically delivered, the Perth Mint applies the following authenticity safeguards:
- Assay certificate – every coin and bar carries an individual serial number and a certificate of authenticity.
- Sealed blister packaging (assay-card bars) – tamper-evident original packaging.
- Coin weight and diameter – can be cross-checked with the Coin Weight Checker and the Coin Authenticity Check.
- LBMA Good Delivery – the Perth Mint is accredited for both gold and silver on the LBMA Good Delivery List, the international quality standard for wholesale bars.
Tax notes (not tax advice)
In Ireland, gold coins from the Perth Mint such as the Australian Gold Kangaroo qualify as investment gold and fall under the VAT exemption set out in the VAT Consolidation Act 2010 (Schedule 1) and EU Directive 2006/112/EC (art. 344-356), provided they meet the investment-gold criteria (fineness of at least 900/1000, legal tender status and minting after 1800 – all of which the Kangaroo satisfies). Silver coins such as the Australian Silver Kangaroo, by contrast, carry the standard Irish VAT rate of 23 %, since Ireland offers no VAT relief for silver. A private individual's gain on selling either coin is chargeable to Capital Gains Tax at 33 %, after the annual exemption of EUR 1,270, with no holding-period relief. This is not tax advice; please consult a qualified adviser.
In a nutshell
The Perth Mint combines state-backed reliability, the highest finenesses (999.9 ‰) and international LBMA accreditation. Its coins and bars are liquid and tradable worldwide, making them suitable for investors and collectors alike.