Friday, January 20, 2006

Australian 2004 Silver Kookaburra

The Australian Silver Kookaburra was first struck in 1990 and the original 300,000 issue was heavily over subscribed at the time. Since then, the Australian Silver Kookaburra has continued to be a very popular coin with collectors.

The Australian 2004 Silver Kookaburra comes in 4 sizes, 1 troy ounce, 2 troy ounces, 10 troy ounces and 1 kilo. The 1 ounce coin is 99.9 percent pure silver and is legal tender in Australia. It has a face value of one Australian Dollar and a weight of 31.635 grams and retails for around 60 US dollars plus shipping.

There is also a square half ounce Australian silver Kookaburra (see picture above) which was struck a year later in 2005. The 1/2oz coin was been struck in the highly popular square-shaped format, resembling Australia's historic kookaburra pattern pennies of 1919 – 1921 and is also struck from 99/9 percent pure silver

The full specifications are given here

Size Face Value Weight Diameter Thickness Serrations

1 oz $1.00AUD 31.635 40.6 40.00 250

2 oz $2.00AUD 62.770 53.20 4.50 80

10oz $10.00AUD 312.347 75.50 8.70 120

1 Kil0 $30.00AUD 1002.502 101.00 14.60 160

One can also get a five coin proof set of all the coins from the Perth Mint.

As well one can purchase the Australian Silver Kookaburra from various coin dealers around the world.

Your silver coins should be stored in a cool, dry place that is preferably airtight, to avoid oxidation. Also avoid direct overexposure to artificial light or sunlight for long periods. Don't store directly on wood, which may often contains acids that can affect the silver's surface.

Proof coins from mints and dealers come in special pouches or boxes and they should be retained in their packaging without being removed. This helps to not only prevent tarnishing, but also, if and when the time comes to resell, helps to retain the value. If you buy a silver coin and there casing appears to be tampered with I suggest you return it.

If you Look after your Australian Silver Kookaburra coins, you can expect many happy years of use and also expect to retain the stored value you paid for them if not more!

1 comment:

Henk said...

The first square Silver Kookaburra was minted in 2002, I have one.
Are they popular?
Not particularly.
It is Australia's first square coin after these were proposed and rejected decades ago.
Anybody wants to make an offer on mine?
About $30.00 US + Postage and you are in business.

A.H. van Herp
11 Vernon Ave.
Gorokan NSW 2263
Australia
0243921611
[email protected]