Did you know....
The Perth Mint is older than the Commonwealth of Australia? It was opened in 1899, two years before Australian Federation in 1901.
A Mint was needed when large amounts of gold were found in the ground by a man called Paddy Hannan. Together with his two friends, they discovered the ‘Golden Mile’ near what is now the town of Kalgoorlie.
Originally, the Mint was owned by the British. In fact, it was an overseas branch of London’s Royal Mint. Today, The Perth Mint is owned by the State Government of Western Australia.
Making Coins
Gold was brought to The Perth Mint by train and wagon. First it was sent to the refinery to get rid of impurities. Then it was made into gold sovereigns, valuable coins that could be spent all over Australia and the British Empire.
Between 1899 and 1931, The Perth Mint made more than 106 million gold sovereigns.
During its existence, The Perth Mint has made many gold bars and other Australian coins, including silver shillings and copper pennies.
In 1966, circulating coins in Australia changed from ‘pounds, shillings and pence’ to ‘dollars and cents’. The Perth Mint helped this happen by making millions of decimal one and two cent coins.
Coin Collecting
In 1986, the Government in Canberra instructed The Perth Mint to make gold, silver and platinum Australian coins for investors and collectors all over the world.
In 2000, The Perth Mint made gold and silver commemoratives celebrating the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The Mint also made extremely popular bronze medallions featuring three native animal mascots: Syd the platypus, Millie the echidna and Olly the kookaburra.
You can read detailed information about The Perth Mint’s history by clicking here.
