Perth Mint
Also: The Perth Mint, Gold Corporation
The Perth Mint is Australia's state minting institution, founded in 1899, and is regarded as one of the world's most renowned refineries and minting facilities for investment gold, investment silver and platinum.
The Perth Mint is the official minting institution and refinery of the Australian state of Western Australia. It was opened in 1899 as the third and last British Royal Mint branch on Australian soil and is today owned by the Government of Western Australia, which operates it through the state-owned Gold Corporation. With over 125 years of operation, it ranks among the oldest still-active minting facilities in the world and enjoys an excellent international reputation for purity, precision and security standards.
History and significance
Originally, the Perth Mint served to process Western Australian mined gold from the Goldfields district around Kalgoorlie. After the end of British Crown control in 1970, the state of Western Australia took over the facility entirely. Today the Perth Mint is not only a minting institution but also one of the world's most important refineries: it refines, processes and certifies precious metals from mining, recycling and the international market.
Australia is one of the largest gold producers in the world, and a considerable part of this production passes through the Perth Mint. This makes the institution a central hub in the global gold market.
Products and mint series
The Perth Mint issues a broad range of investment and collector coins as well as 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 bars (LBMA) | Gold | 999.9 | - |
The Lunar series - coins featuring the Chinese zodiac motif - enjoys high popularity among collectors worldwide and appears annually with changing animal motifs. The silver coins of the Lunar series are considered a popular entry-level object for investment buyers.
Certification and authenticity assurance
A key unique selling point of the Perth Mint is its Perth Mint Certificate Programme (PMCP): investors can have physical gold and silver stored certified in their name in the Mint's high-security vault without receiving it physically. Each certificate securitises a precisely defined share of alloy-free, LBMA-accredited fine gold or fine silver.
For physically delivered coins and bars, the Perth Mint uses the following authenticity assurance:
- Assay certificate - each coin and bar bears an individual serial number and a test certificate.
- Sealed blister packaging (certified bars) - tamper-proof original packaging.
- Coin weight and diameter - can be cross-checked with the coin weight checker and the coin authenticity test.
- 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-market bars.
Tax notes (no tax law)
In the United Kingdom, gold coins from the Perth Mint such as the Australian Gold Kangaroo qualify for the VAT exemption for investment gold (HMRC), provided they meet the fineness requirement of at least 995/1000 - which the Kangaroo does at 999.9. Silver coins such as the Australian Silver Kangaroo, by contrast, are subject to the standard rate of VAT of 20%. Since the Kangaroo is not UK legal tender, gains on disposal are subject to Capital Gains Tax above the annual exempt amount (unlike The Royal Mint's Sovereign and Britannia, which are CGT-exempt). There is no German-style speculation period. This is not tax or investment advice - please consult a tax adviser.
In brief
The Perth Mint combines state reliability, the highest finenesses (999.9) and international LBMA accreditation. Its coins and bars are liquidly tradable worldwide and suitable for investors and collectors alike.