Kangourou australien 1/10 once d'or
The Australian Kangaroo is one of the most recognizable coins minted by the oldest Australian mint, the Perth Mint. Located in Perth and founded in 1899, it is the oldest mint in Australia still in operation today. The mint, known as the Gold Corporation, processes about 60% of the gold mined in Australia, which accounts for about 10% of the world's gold production.
The kangaroo is a symbol of Australia. It appears, alongside the emu, on the national coat of arms. It can survive for many weeks without water, spends its childhood in a pouch, moves by jumping, and is one of the largest mammals on Earth. Why kangaroo? The name kangaroo was given to these animals by English settlers. It comes from the Aboriginal word “gungurru,” which the natives used to refer to the gray kangaroo, and its pronunciation is similar to “kangaroo.” The Latin name for kangaroos, Macropodidae, means “long foot,” and indeed, most members of this family have long feet. Kangaroos can move at speeds of nearly 50 km/h and overcome obstacles 3 meters high and up to 12 meters long.
An interesting fact is that the current population of kangaroos living in Australia is around 40 million. They are not liked by local settlers, which is why for many years, projects aimed at reducing the kangaroo population have been implemented in some states. These projects involve the mass culling of these animals, which is carried out by professional and specially trained hunters. The killed animals are used for meat and leather production, as well as for export. The culling is approved by the Australian government and is highly controversial around the world. More than 7 million kangaroos are killed each year.
The coin is minted from 24-karat gold with a fineness of 9999. The precursor to today's Australian Kangaroo was a coin produced in 1986 called the Australian Nugget. Its design was based on the image of a gold nugget. However, after three years, its appearance was changed to feature an image of a kangaroo, which is associated with Australia. As a curiosity, it should be added that in October 2011, the Perth Mint created the largest and most valuable coin in the world, breaking the record held by the Royal Canadian Mint. The coin measured 80 cm and was 12 cm thick, weighing 1,012 kilograms. Like all coins from the Australian mint, it was also made of 9999 gold. Its face value was 1 million, but its actual value was estimated at 53.5 million.
Obverse: the obverse invariably features an image of Queen Elizabeth II with her name and the denomination of the coin.
Reverse: it is decorated with an image of a kangaroo, which is modified every year. In 2016, it is a standing kangaroo observing its surroundings, with the outline of another kangaroo behind it. The reverse also features information about the weight, year of issue, and fineness of the gold in which the coin was minted.
INDIVIDUAL COINS ARE SHIPPED IN PLASTIC ROUND CAPSULES.