1oz Silver 2008 Australian Koala
Introduction
Today's featured coin is the 1oz Silver 2008 Australian Koala coin struck by The Perth Mint, following the successful release of the 2007 Australian Koala coin. The coin was issued as legal tender under the authority of Australia with a denomination of one dollar.
Coin Sizes
The 2008 bullion coin was issued in four different sizes. They were the 1/2oz, 1oz, 10oz and 1kg coins. The 1oz Silver 2008 Australian Koala was also released in a carded version.
Mintage
All of the coins in the 2008 Australian Koala coin program were 'mint to order'. The table below shows information about the coins and their declared mintages.
| Year | Denomination | Description | Maximum Mintage | Declared Mintage |
| 2008 | $30 | 1kg Bullion Koala Coin 2008 | mint to order | 13,188 |
| 2008 | $10 | 10oz Bullion Koala Coin 2008 | mint to order | 4,367 |
| 2008 | $1 | 1oz Bullion Koala Coin 2008 | mint to order | 84,057 |
| 2008 | $1 | 1oz Bullion Koala Coin 2008 - Carded | mint to order | 4,601 |
| 2008 | 50c | 1/2oz Bullion Koala Coin 2008 | mint to order | 13,944 |
Coin Purity
The 2008 Australian Koala coins are .999 fine silver, the more recent editions of the Koala coins have increased their purity to .9999 silver.
Coin Details
| Mint/Brand: | The Perth Mint |
| Silver Content: | 1 Troy Ounce |
| Purity: | .999 Fine Silver |
| Denomination: | $1 (Australian) |
| Year of Issue: | 2008 |
| Edge: | Milled |
| Weight: | 31.135g |
| Diameter: | 40.60mm |
| Thickness: | 2.98mm |
Design
Reverse of Coin
The reverse of the coin depicts a mother koala on a tree branch, with a baby koala on her back.
Obverse of Coin
The obverse of the coin portrays the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination of Australian 1 Dollar.
Presentation Card
For the carded version of the 2008 Australian Koala coin, it is housed on a superbly illustrated blue display card, which includes a Certificate of Authenticity on the back.
Secondary Market
The 1oz Silver 2008 Australian Koala coin, attracts a healthy premium in both the bullion and carded versions. The issue price of the 2008 carded coin on the Perth Mint website was AU $42.50. When I did an eBay.com.au search for sold listings for this coin, no sold results were returned. There was one for sale listings, see below:
Silver coin collectors or stackers that do own the 1oz Silver 2008 Australian Koala coin, do not tend to sell them very often and when they do they ask for a healthy premium.
Coin Purchase Quantity
The Australian Koala 1oz coins are sold as single coins, in sealed rolls of twenty 1oz coins or you can purchase a 100oz box that includes fives sealed rolls of twenty 1oz coins. The advantage of buying in higher quantities is that the bullion dealers offer volume breaks or discounts the more coins you buy.
Coin Display
There are many options on how best to store and display your Australian Koala 1oz coin collection. One great option is to purchase a purpose built presentation box. There are different varieties out there, but the one on the photo below holds up to twenty 1oz Silver Koala coins. The black velour-lined tray is designed to fit 1oz coins in their original mint plastic capsules.
Coin Protection
Each 1oz Silver Koala coin is stored in their original mint plastic capsules. It is highly recommended that you keep your silver bullion coins in their capsules to prevent tarnishing of the coin. If the original plastic capsule gets scratched, damaged or cracks, you can buy new plastic capsules from your trusted bullion dealer.
When handling your 1oz Silver Koala coins, for extra protection use a pair of cotton gloves. Cotton gloves protect your silver coins from oils in your fingers that may cause discoloration, damaging the coin's finish. I have formed the habit to use cotton gloves even when I am handling silver coins in their plastic capsules.
Post authored by @strenue
