2017 Australian Silver Koalas: A History and Overview

Koalas and their Respective Koala Coins

Koalas are one of the most iconic Australian animals; a distinguished symbol for the land down under. Because of the koala’s well-known association with Australia, the Perth Mint began a Silver Koala coin program in 2007. Located in Australia and created in 1899, the Perth Mint is a world leader in bullion and numismatic coin production. The Silver Koala is one of the Perth Mint’s flagship coin programs, and 2017 marks its 10^th anniversary.

These cuddly animals are often confused with bears because of their appearance, but they are actually marsupials! This means that koala babies – or joeys – are born prematurely, and then continue to develop in their mothers’ pouches after birth. Not only are koalas nocturnal, meaning that they are often awake at night, but they are also known to sleep up to 20 hours a day! Because of the energy required for a koala to digest its diet, which consists mostly of eucalyptus tree leaves, it is necessary for the koala to sleep for a substantial portion of its day.

Zoologists estimate there to be fewer than 80,000 – possibly even 50,000 – koalas left in Australia today. The decline in the koala population is likely due to habitat loss, which is caused by land clearing, bushfires, and diseased eucalyptus trees.

Koalas on Coins

Fortunately, Silver Koalas have continued to grow in popularity over the last decade for several reasons:

• Silver Koalas are made of 99.9% pure silver, which is very high and very desirable for collectors.
• Silver Koalas are made with the typical, and noticeably-spectacular, Perth Mint quality.
• Silver Koalas, like other Perth Mint bullion coins, come with a finish very similar to that of a reverse proof coin. The main designs are frosted while the background fields have a prooflike finish.
• Silver Koalas exhibit a unique, one-year only design each year.
• 1 oz. Silver Koalas boast a limited mintage of 300,000 with each new years release.

All of the above qualities make Silver Koalas highly collectible bullion issues. And, with the ever-growing popularity of Koala coins, hopefully more of the public will become aware of the environmental obstacles actual koalas face.

As we stated, each year's 1 oz. Silver Koala has a limited mintage, which 300,000 to be exact. In contrast, the 10 oz. and kilo versions of the Silver Koala have unlimited mintages, but they are only struck based on demand, and final mintage numbers are released when the year is over.

Koala coin designs always show either a single koala or an adult koala with a joey, along with some representation of the eucalyptus tree because of its crucial role in koalas’ survival. These designs showcase the impressive artistic talents of Perth Mint’s artists, which also adds to the appeal and collectability of these coins.

2017 Silver Koalas

The reverse design of the 2017 Koala bears a striking and elegant image of a single koala sitting in his natural habitat – a eucalyptus tree – with another tree and hills visible in the background. The obverse, like all Perth Mint coins issued since 1998, features the right-facing Ian-Rank Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, because Australia is part of the British Commonwealth.

The 1 oz. coin carries a 1 Australian Dollar denomination, meaning that it is legal tender in Australia and that their weight and purity are backed by the Australian government. Koala coins are also eligible for inclusion in precious metal Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). Like all Perth coins, the Silver Koalas have a “P” Mint mark signifying that they were struck at the Perth Mint. The 2017 Koala also displays the initials “TV” for Tom Vaughn, who designed the coin.

A key aspect as to why Silver Koalas maintain such high quality is that they ship directly from the Mint in protective acrylic capsules, which prevent the coins from being damaged. These hard acrylic capsules also offer long-term protection for the coins.

Previous issues in the Koala series are also highly sought after, because many of them have extremely low mintages. The 2008 1-oz. Silver Koala is very popular because only a mere 84,057 coins exist. Several of the earlier issues carry substantial premiums that reflect their high demand.

The year with the highest Koala mintages is 2012, with 388,046 coins produced in total. Initially, Koala coins were struck based on demand. However, in 2016 Perth decided to limit annual production to 300,000 coins – the same amount as 1-oz. silver Kookaburra coins and Lunar coins.

In addition to 2017 Koalas, MCM currently has graded examples of some of the hard-to-find Koala releases. We also carry the 1 oz. Silver High-Relief Proof and Gilt coins, along with the 2016 ¼-oz. Gold Proof coin.

While it is still possible to assemble a complete set of silver koalas, the limited mintages and coin variations will make this feat increasingly difficult as time goes on. Just make sure to keep up with the series, by purchasing some of the Mint's most recent Koala Releases!