The Perth Mint of Australia has started accepting orders for their latest round of new coin releases. This includes the first release from a new Gods of Olympus series featuring designs rendered in high relief with an antique finish, the latest releases in the Land Down Under and Australian Opal series, a 5 oz silver proof version of the Year of the Horse Coin, and more.
For collectors in the United States, sales began at February 3, 2014 at 11:01 AM ET. These coins can all be found as the first entries within the recent releases section on the Perth Mint’s website.
The first release in a new series featuring the Gods of Olympus depicts Zeus, supreme ruler of Mount Olympus and the Pantheon of gods that lived there. The reverse depicts a bearded Zeus rising up into a stormy sky wielding a thunderbolt and scepter with an eagle flying above his shoulder. The coin is struck in high relief in rimless format with an antique finish. The obverse features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, also in antique finish.
Issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Tuvalu, each coin is struck in 2 troy ounces of .999 fine silver with a diameter of 40.50 mm. There is a maximum mintage of 1,500 pieces. Future issues of the series will feature Poseidon and Hades.
In the previous post, I had mentioned that I was looking forward to seeing the design of this coin. Once it was unveiled, I was a bit surprised as I had expected a more classical look. The style, antique finish, and rimless format are certainly much different than the usual appearance Perth Mint coins.
The first designs in the 2014 Land Down Under series commemorate Australia’s Gold Rush. The design of the silver coin depicts a prospector panning for gold against a colored river scene framed within a map shape of Australia. The gold coin features two prospectors panning for gold in a creek. The obverse of each coin features the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the 2014 date and the monetary denomination.
The silver coin is struck in .999 purity with a weight of 1 troy ounce and diameter of 40.60 mm. The maximum mintage is 5,000 pieces. The gold coin is struck in .9999 purity with a weight of 1/4 oz, diameter of 20.60 mm, and maximum mintage of 1,000 pieces.
Future releases of the series for this year will feature the Great Barrier Reef, Australian Stock Horse, and Rock Fishing.
A new series entitled “Mother’s Love” depicts the connection between a mother and her offspring within the animal kingdom. The first coin features a colored scene of a Lioness nurturing her lion cub amongst grasslands.
Issued as Tuvalu legal tender, the coins are struck in 1/2 oz of .999 fine silver with a diameter of 36.60 mm. The Perth Mint will issue no more than 4,500 of the coins in the current packaging from an overall maximum mintage of 6,000 pieces.
The fifth release within the Australian Opal series features the Tasmanian Devil. The first three releases of this series have sold out, while the fourth release featuring the Pygmy Possum still remains available.
The 1 oz 99.9% silver proof coin incorporates an inner panel design depicting a Tasmanian Devil. The outer panel includes depictions of native soft tree ferns and wattle leaves, a full moon, and the Southern Cross star formation.
A maximum mintage of 8,000 has been established. The coins come in a display case with a light which turns on when the lid is opened, to represent the moon shining down on the nocturnal creature.
The 2014 Australian Lunar Year of the Horse 5 oz. Silver Proof Coin features this year’s design in a new format. The reverse shows two horses standing within a stylized Chinese landscape with the Chinese character for “horse” and the inscription “Year of the Horse.”
These coins are struck in .999 purity to proof format with a weight of 5 troy ounces and diameter of 65.60 mm. The maximum mintage is 5,000 pieces.
A colored version of the 2014 Australian Koala 1 oz Silver Coin is also available. The reverse design depicts a close up colored image of an adult koala with a spray of gum leaves. The inscriptions include “Australian Koala” and “2014 1 oz 999 Silver”.
Each coin comes on an illustrated card showing the obverse and reverse of the coin. This issue carries an unlimited mintage.
Other new releases for this month include:
Mere Mortal says
Curse you, Zeus!
Curse you and your limited mintage of 1500!
Do you gods have nothing better to do than torment us mortals for your own entertainment?
Samuel says
i had very high expectation for this 2oz coin. very disappointed.
CW says
I love the Zeus coin. Fantastic.
Ibex says
That Zeus coin is really nice looking IMO. Artwork is interesting. In for three to get the free ship to US
Louis says
I like it too. It’s different and really conveys the power of Zeus. Plus for a 2-oz UHR and antique finish, the price is pretty reasonable. Should appeal to the Zombucks crowd.
Broooster says
Perth website says “unavailable” for the Zeus. I had a feeling those would not last long. Sure glad I got my order in early. This will be my first coin with that antique finish.
Schalk says
Available at Talisman and cheaper than Perth Mint.
Samuel says
Schalk, haven’t seen u for a while.
Samuel says
this 2oz coin looks like a medal. and the finish is also similar to “history of crusades”, and “amber route” etc. and IMO, it is no better than the NZmint :
http://www.nzmint.com/coins/shop-online/gods-ancient-greece-zeus-2-oz-silver-coin
fmtransmitter says
I agree with Samuel, that coin looks stunning and is a highlite of my collection. I am not into this Zeus coin at all. That being said, did anyone see govmint email? They said “Collector note” do not wait to get this coin because you want to get a low serial number and those are sent FIRST??
fmtransmitter says
So when in number 2 due out Samuel?
fmtransmitter says
I will show that new Zues to my neighbor, he draws all that steam punk stuff just like this and will love this coin for sure. Guess I am getting too old these days and prefer classic designs. Each to his own, there will be 1500 souls who will gladly add this to their collection.
fmtransmitter says
The land down under I really like, has a cool magnetic case that makes the coin float in place. And I like panning for gold etc. It is also fairly cheap at Talisman for $75.
Samuel says
after u buy coins for along time, then u begin to hate perthmint or talis. the mint only put up about 100 there, and then they said it is unavai. the T, put several there, and then they increase the price $10 at a time.
Louis says
FM- Which coin are you talking about from GM? The last e-mail I got from them is about 2014 ASE proof.
Schalk says
Samuel, I been around – have not seen anything interesting until this new Zeus coin. A very unusual design. The New Zealand Mint coin to which you refer is somewhat bland in comparison. The last Zeus coin I liked was minted by the Royal Mint for the 2012 Olympics.
I have been buying for years from Talisman and I really cannot complain – sometimes they take long to deliver but I always got the coin. They will usually up there price as soon as the coin sells out at the mint – or if it appears that the coin becomes scarce -all coin dealers do that.
Schalk says
…and quite frankly, I would rather buy a coin minted by the Perth Mint which is known for it’s quality – especially when it is their first antique finish Piedfort!
Louis says
And first of a new series. I also ordered from Talisman and have found them very good to deal with. Look at current prices on those 5 oz Niue horse
coins which Talisman sold for $375. $600 is the current minimum and some have even gone for $1500.
Louis says
Also, I am sure it will be even nicer in hand. I do agree it looks like a medal in many ways esp. with the antique finish, but that does not bother me.
Schalk says
Louis, if I remember correctly, you and I were the only ones that reportedly bought the Niue at $369.95 from Talisman. I still think that it was one of the best coin purchases of last year!
Schalk says
and now the Zeus is sold out at Talisman! However, it is still available at Downies.
VARich says
Direct has Zeus – Au$ 179.
Louis says
Amen to that, brother Schalk!! That coin always puts a smile on my face and helps me forget about the challenges of life. Talisman actually lists it at $1400 now, which is interesting and someone on e-Bay paid $1500 recently.
By the way, Talisman’s price on the 5 oz horse at $300 is a lot cheaper than Perth or anyone else, but it might be cheaper later.
Directcoins has the Zeus too.
Ibex says
$179 USD at Downies plus $20 ship – that went up fast. I was $142 each shipped at Perth
Ibex says
You all do know the New Zealand Mint is not really a Mint at least in terms of the numi releases – they are a production management company arranging minting thru the German mints or whoever and simply bringing designs and packaging to the table. Perth carries a whole lot more weight then NZ. I honestly don’t think the NZ Zeus is even close to the same league as the Perth Zeus.
Louis says
I agree with that, but some NZM coins are not bad. However, I totally agree Perth is in another league. I feel like they are pushing the envelope with this Zeus coin.
Schalk says
Samuel, just have a look at Talisman prices for the Proof 5 oz Year of the Horse. If this coin did not have a 5000 mintage figure, I would have bought it from:
Talisman at $300.00.
Perth Mint $383, Downies $480!
Louis says
Exactly, and plus Talisman has allowed me to cancel my order weeks after being placed, etc.
G says
Love the Zeus. First perth order for me since the snake proof. Really an unexpected coin and low mintage. Planning on keeping it- but I think it will look great at 2 oz and I’m excited about the next two- Poseidon and Hades!
Samuel says
i also saw the niue 5oz horse at that time, i just don’t like it at all, so i did not buy it. it is hard to believe it becomes so high in price.
T rewind:they put up 10 for $139 today, after about a couple of hours, all gone, then they put up another 5 for $149, now all gone. (to be continued).
Schalk says
…and your point is?
Mark says
perth mint has them back up for sale….8/30 pm ET
Louis says
They always save some for Aussies, who are mostly asleep when the coins are first released. Those will probably be gone by tomorrow.
Samuel says
since u guys said it is good, so i ordered several to make it free shipping.
hw says
I did same thing as Samuel. Only 9 left as of this writing.
Samuel says
all gone.
old trick again.
u need to know dealers’ tricks, then u can get coin and not in a rush.
ibex66 says
Sold out again in about 15 minutes. Might be one more sale but this is pretty close to gone.
Samuel says
ibex66, that depends on how many they put on the website,this morning, should be about 100. just now, i am not sure. there are maybe a couple of more sales. recently, they tend to put a small amount there, but more batches.
Frankie says
they may well be sold out now: there were about 150 this morning, another 150 just now. i saw a german distributor of the pm selling at least 80 today, plus all the other official distributors… at best, they got 150-200 left. 1500 is not a lot for a silver coin.
ibex66 says
When is the next drop then? Grabbed a bunch around 8:30 – SO in about 15 minutes. Been down this road before and haven’t seen a Perth coin sell out this fast since the Dragon days. This looks like a winner as long as the greed heads at Perth don’t pull some repackage nonsense. Next two coins are slated to be Posiden and Hades and those will be great
Stuart says
Well, so much for waiting a day and talking with my brother about this. And getting 1 each. 🙁
Koichi Ito says
So what is difference between Perth Mint and Royal Australian Mint? One thing for sure that Perth Mint does commemorates Greek Mythology that Royal Australian Mint does not.
VARich says
Hey Stuart, what’s the trick to posting your ‘bad science’ pic? Thanks
Zeeman says
So much for me talking about 2oz Zeus coin, i totally forgot about it yesterday, ohh well i have to pass on it, not going to pay premium for it 🙁
Stuart says
@VARich — no idea
@Zeeman — Ditto. My brother and I have been reloading the three sites throughout the day with no luck. He just called me to tell me they’re going for $250 on eBay.
Louis says
Actually they are now bringing about $300. One is bid up to $270 with 24 min. to go and BIN’s are $300.
Ikaika says
@ Louis
Did you purchase the 2 oz Zeus? I was amazed how fast it sold out. I wonder if these will be as popular as the Mongolia wild life series with this antique finish. I collect the Mongolia coins and so far they have been doing well in terms of value.
Louis says
I just got one @ 140 from Talisman.
haven’t heard much about the new Bison series here, sold out at the RCM. Silvertowne has them for $100 shipped, but I ordered one from Gatewest for less and with their bonus system, I got that and a $20 silver goose for only $7 more than Silvertowne including shipping. It looks like this year’s version of last year’s bald eagle series though we will have to see if the art is as good.
Ikaika says
@ Louis
Talisman had the best deal. I got their email and Downies regarding the Zeus. I like the antique finish, but still hesitant to support the Perth mint. Still waiting on that Wedged Tail Eagle from Germany. Not sure what I will be getting 🙂
Louis says
Thanks, Ikaika. Always enjoy your comments and positive attitude here and elsewhere.