Australian Kangaroo Coin: Gold/Silver, Sizes, & Where to Buy

The Australian Kangaroo Coin is a highly-regarded bullion coin available to collectors and investors around the world.

This guide looks at the history of the coin from the Perth and Royal Australian Mints to evaluate the coin’s design and value as an investment.

About the Australian Kangaroo Coin

The Australian Nugget was Australia’s first gold bullion coin produced by the Perth Mint in 1986. After just three years it underwent a design change, featuring Australia’s iconic kangaroo. 

A silver edition of the kangaroo bullion coin was introduced by the Perth Mint in 2015.

The Royal Australian Mint produces a separate kangaroo-themed numismatic coin intended for collectors.

The gold coin is 99.99% pure 24 karat gold and has a face value of $100 Australian dollars while the silver coin has a face value of $1 AUS.

History

As one of the world’s largest gold producers, the Australian Kangaroo Coin was created to promote Australia’s gold industry and to offer a distinct investment option to the global market.

The coin served as a competitor to the South African Krugerrand, Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, and the American Gold Eagle.

The gold coin debuted in 1986 with a gold nugget design, but demand for the coin didn’t take off until it was redesigned with a kangaroo in 1989.

The kangaroo was a better representation of Australian culture and the design made it a more valuable coin for collectors.

The silver kangaroo bullion coin was introduced in 2015 by the Perth Mint to provide investors with another investment-grade bullion option.

The Royal Australian Mint also produces a silver kangaroo coin series that is collected for numismatic purposes.

In 2015 the purity of the silver coin was increased to 99.99% pure silver to make the coin more competitive.

The silver Kangaroo coin offers an affordable option for collectors that complements the gold coin.

Design

The Australian Kangaroo coin features Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse and a red kangaroo on the reverse.

Queen Elizabeth’s current portrait was designed by Jody Clark and the red kangaroo was designed by Dr. Stuart Devlin. 

The queen’s portrait was updated several times as she aged.

Her portrait was updated during the following periods:

• 1986–1988 by Arnold Machin
• 1989–1997 by Raphael Maklouf
• 1998–2018 by Ian Rank-Broadley
• 2019–Present by Jody Clark

Prior to 1990, the gold coin featured an image of a gold nugget. In 1987, the coin featured the Welcome Stranger nugget, the largest gold nugget ever to be mined in Australia.

The inscription on the obverse includes:

• QUEEN ELIZABETH II
• AUSTRALIA
• 100 DOLLARS (or 1 DOLLAR for silver coins)

The inscription on he reverse includes:

• AUSTRALIAN KANGAROO
• The mintage year
• 1 OZ 9999 GOLD (or 1 OZ 9999 SILVER for silver coins)

Unlike proofs, the kangaroo design on gold bullion coins remains consistent from year to year.

Proof coins have featured artistic updates since 1989 including mothers with joeys and boxing kangaroos.

The silver coin includes a single jumping kangaroo. There are radial lines and micro-engraved text for additional security to prevent counterfeiting.

Minting & Distribution

The Australian Gold Kangaroo coin contains 1 troy oz of 0.9999 pure gold. All gold bullion coins are uncirculated.

The design on the gold bullion coin stays constant but the proof coins change from year to year.

Silver Kangaroo coins are produced as a proof coin or a frosted uncirculated coin.

The Perth Mint introduced silver bullion coins in 2015 with 99.99% purity, while earlier kangaroo-themed coins produced by the Royal Australian Mint contained 99.9% silver and were numismatic in nature.

The Australian Gold Kangaroo has unlimited mintage but varies based on demand. Special edition coins are available in limited quantities.

The Perth Mint’s 125th Anniversary coin was limited to 25,000.

Best Places to Buy Australian Kangaroo Coins

I’ve listed my top 3 favorite places online that I like to buy my Kangaroo coins from.

Goldco

Goldco is a reputable precious metals dealer that offers Australian Kangaroo Coins for direct purchase or inclusion in a gold IRA.

JM Bullion

JM Bullion is a Dallas-based online precious metals retailer with more than a decade of experience. Investors can purchase Australian Kangaroo Coins directly from the company’s website.

APMEX

Founded in 2000, APMEX is an online precious metals marketplace offering gold and silver Australian Kangaroo coins.

Are Australian Kangaroo coins a good investment?

The Australian Kangaroo coin is popular with investors due to its artistic design, durability, and trustworthiness as an investment.

Gold coins are an option for preserving wealth while the silver version of the Australian Kangaroo coin is a cost-effective coin for collectors.

Evaluate your personal investing strategy to see if the Australian Kangaroo coin would make a good addition to your portfolio.