A short history of the Perth Mint.

The Perth Mint has the honor of being Australia’s oldest Mint still in operation.

Construction began in 1866, and the Mint opened and began minting coins on June 20, 1899.The Sydney Mint and the Melbourne Mint both pre-dated the Perth Mint, but have since been closed.

It was originally a branch of the Royal Mint in London, and was used as both a refinery for gold and to mint the sovereign and half sovereign.

Australia gained independence in 1901, but the Perth Mint continued to belong to the British until July 1, 1970, when it officially a statutory authority of the West Australian Government. The Gold Corporation, owned by the Government, currently owns the Perth Mint.

The Mint’s refinery enjoys a high output. Its total output of refined gold totalled 4,500 tons, as of the year 2000. The Perth Mint is responsible for refining an impressive 3.25% of all the refined gold. The mint currently provides gold refining services for the gold industry, as well as creating coins sought after by collectors.

It is currently the only refinery in Australia which is LBMA accredited. In addition to refining gold mined in Australia, it also refines gold from other countries, and even secondary gold shipped in from Asia.

It also continues to produce the bulk of legal tender precious metal coins used by Australians. This includes the coin proofs of collectible coins such as the Australian Nugget, Silver Kookaburra, and Platinum Koala.

The Mint also supplies precious metal blanks to mints in other countries, including some of the largest ones in operation. This aspect of the Mint makes the Gold Corporation the eleventh largest exporter in all of Western Australia.The Perth Mint has a commitment to increase investment in gold and other precious metals. They create and supply both coins and gold bars. The Perth Mint is known for its constant innovation and its desire to always produce the highest quality products, whether they are for collection, investment, or circulation.

Visitors to Western Australia often make the time to take a tour of the mint. There, they can witness a Gold Pour and will have a chance to touch a pure gold bar weighing four hundred ounces. Every year, thousands of visitors to the area will take the tour.

A feature that makes the Perth Mint unique is that they will mint coins for private clients. Private Minting projects can be commissioned by both Australian and international private clients. These clients will receive the same high quality craftsmanship that is delivered with all their coins.

They will mint collectible pieces in precious metals, or customers can have tokens created in base metals for special events and promotions.

The mint currently offers an impressive collection of collector’s coins, each representing an animal unique to Australia.

Coins feature the Great White Shark, Kookaburra, and even the Tasmanian Devil as well as the Emu and Dingo. There is also an extensive collection of jewelry and other collectibles that are designed and sold by the Mint.