The 2017 1oz Australian Silver Koala coin continues to go strong celebrating its 10th year in production. Proudly displaying one of Australia’s most iconic wildlife, the 2017 1oz Australian Silver Koala is .999 fine Australian silver and is proudly minted at the Perth Mint in Perth, Western Australia. There are 300,000 coins minted and all are backed by the federal government of Australia. The koala coins can also be used for Individual Retirement Accounts or IRAs. Variations of the coin include:
Australian Koala 2017 Silver Proof High Relief Coin
- Available in 5oz and 1 oz of proof Quality 99.9% silver
- High Relief Design
- Only 9,000 issued of 1oz and 1000 issued of the 5oz
Australian Koala 2017 Gold Proof Coin
- 5 different sizes: ¼ oz, 1/10oz, 1oz, 2oz, and 5oz of proof quality 99.99% pure gold
- 5oz: Rare, only 75 issued
- 2oz: 150 minted
- 1oz: 500 minted
- ¼ oz: 1000 minted
- 1/10 oz: 1500 minted
- 1oz and 2oz also available in high relief
Australian Koala 2017 1 Kilo Silver Proof coin
- 1 Kilo of 99.9% pure silver
- Rare, only 300 issued
This coin is also available in a trio that includes the Australian Kookaburra Coin in 99.99% pure gold with a.47 carat round cut deep purple-pink diamond, and an Australian Kangaroo coin in 99.95% pure platinum with a .46 carat emerald cut dark gray violet diamond. The Australian Koala coin rounds out the trio in 91.67% rose gold with a .58 carat emerald cut pink diamond. This collection is for sale for 1.8 million.
The Australian Silver Koala Coin was first released in 2007 by Perth Mint as an addition to their yearly silver bullion release program. Started in 1990 with the Australian Silver Kookaburra, the Perth Mint has designed and released over 10 new designs showcasing the loveable marsupial. The current 2017 design shows the koala sitting on the ground near the base of a eucalyptus tree, two leaves on each side the koala with a second eucalyptus tree in the background. Also in the background is a mountain range. As on all coins that come out of Perth Mint, the koala side has a “P” mark to indicate that it was struck at Perth Mint and a “TV” to indicate that Tom Vaughn was the one who designed the coin. On the opposite side of the coin is the right-profile of the Queen Elizabeth II. The depiction of the Queen was created by Ian Rank-Broadley, whose art work was the winner of the Royal Mint competition in 1997. His work is on all circulated British coins and some Commonwealth coinage such as Australia.
The koala is found near the coastal regions of eastern and southern Australia and feed almost exclusively on the eucalyptus tree. The koala can sleep up to 20 hours a day and are very inactive when they are awake.