125th Anniversary Gold

Perth Mint's 125th Anniversary in Gold

The Perth Mint 125th Anniversary gold coin is a one-time commemorative issue from 2024, marking 125 years since the mint opened its doors on 20 June 1899. Struck in .9999 fine gold with a mintage of just 25,000, it sits at the intersection of bullion and collectibility. Buyers who want Perth Mint gold with a fixed production run, rather than the open-mintage Gold Kangaroo, will find this coin fills that gap.

The reverse combines three animals from Perth Mint's most recognised bullion programmes: the kangaroo, kookaburra, and koala, framed by golden wattle (Australia's national floral emblem). It is a self-referential design, a mint commemorating its own product history through the fauna that made it famous. The obverse carries Dan Thorne's effigy of King Charles III, making this a dual-transition coin: new monarch and anniversary milestone in one issue.

Perth Mint is wholly owned by the Government of Western Australia and holds LBMA Good Delivery accreditation. Between 1899 and 1931, it struck over 106 million gold sovereigns for the British Empire. It is the only surviving Australian branch of the original Royal Mint (the Sydney and Melbourne branches closed in 1926 and 1967 respectively). That lineage gives the 125th Anniversary coin a historical weight that extends beyond the immediate design.

For gold buyers focused on pure metal accumulation at the lowest premium, the open-mintage Kangaroo remains the more cost-effective Perth Mint option. The 125th Anniversary is better suited to those who value limited production and a commemorative angle alongside their gold holding. The 25,000 mintage is low enough to support secondary market premiums over time, though not so low as to make the coin scarce in the near term.

125th Anniversary Gold Coin Specifications

The coin is Australian legal tender under the Australian Currency Act. Each coin includes Perth Mint's standard micro-laser engraved security feature on the reverse, detectable only under magnification. The unique P125 mintmark appears on the reverse, identifying this as a one-year-only anniversary issue. Coins ship in protective acrylic capsules.

A separate proof version exists with a mintage of just 500 pieces, plus a 2 oz gilded silver proof and a three-coin sovereign gold proof set. These collector variants carry significantly higher premiums and are distinct from the standard bullion strike.

Tax Treatment for the 125th Anniversary Gold Coin

As an Australian legal tender gold coin struck in .9999 fine gold, the 125th Anniversary benefits from investment gold tax exemptions across most major markets.

• Australia: GST-free. Investment-grade gold coins that are or were legal tender and contain at least 99.5% pure gold are exempt from the 10% GST under the GST Act 1999.
• United Kingdom: VAT-exempt as investment gold. Gold coins minted after 1800 with purity of at least 900 thousandths that are or were legal tender qualify for 0% VAT. Capital gains tax applies on disposal at 18% (basic rate) or 24% (higher rate), with a £3,000 annual allowance. This coin is not UK legal tender, so it does not qualify for the CGT exemption that the Gold Britannia and Gold Sovereign receive.
• United States: No federal sales tax. State sales tax varies; most states exempt investment-grade precious metals. The .9999 purity meets the IRS threshold for precious metals IRAs under Section 408(m), making it IRA-eligible. Federal capital gains on bullion are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.
• Canada: GST/HST-exempt as investment gold above 99.5% purity. Capital gains are taxable at a 50% inclusion rate (66.67% above CAD 250,000 annually for individuals).
• Singapore: GST-exempt as an Investment Precious Metal (IPM). Gold coins of at least 99.5% purity that are or were legal tender qualify. No capital gains tax in Singapore.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no import duty, no capital gains tax.
• New Zealand: GST-exempt as fine gold (at least 99.5% purity). No formal capital gains tax, though the IRD may tax profits if the purchase was made with intent to resell.

From Gold Rush Outpost to Global Refinery

Perth Mint was established on 20 June 1899 as the third Australian branch of Britain's Royal Mint, following Sydney (1855) and Melbourne (1872). Its founding was driven by the Kalgoorlie-Coolgardie gold rush of 1892-1893, which created an urgent need for a local facility to process Western Australia's rapidly expanding gold output. The original mint building in East Perth, now heritage-listed, still stands and operates as a tourist attraction housing the 1899 melting house.

In its first three decades, Perth Mint struck over 106 million gold sovereigns and nearly 735,000 half-sovereigns for the British Empire. It remained under British jurisdiction until 1 July 1970, when ownership transferred to the Government of Western Australia. Today it operates as Gold Corporation, a wholly state-owned entity with LBMA Good Delivery accreditation. The mint has refined more than 15,000 tonnes of gold in its history, a figure that exceeds the gold reserves held in Fort Knox.

The 125th Anniversary coin captures this entire arc. The three animals on the reverse, the kangaroo, kookaburra, and koala, represent Perth Mint's three most recognisable bullion coin series: the Australian Kangaroo (launched 1986 as the Gold Nugget), the Australian Kookaburra (silver, since 1990), and the Australian Koala (since 2007). The golden wattle framing symbolises Australia itself, having been proclaimed the national floral emblem in 1988.

The obverse features the first appearance of Dan Thorne's King Charles III effigy on a Perth Mint anniversary coin, following the transition from the long-running Queen Elizabeth II portraits. This places the 125th Anniversary at a particular moment in Australian numismatic history: the first anniversary issue under the new monarch.

Perth Mint is the only surviving colonial branch of the Royal Mint among the three Australian facilities. The Sydney Mint closed in 1926, the Melbourne Mint in 1967. The 125th Anniversary is therefore not just a celebration of one institution but a marker of the last remaining link between Australian minting and its British origins.

125th Anniversary vs Kangaroo, Lunar, and Kookaburra

Perth Mint produces several gold bullion coin ranges, and the 125th Anniversary overlaps with all of them in terms of metal content. The choice between them comes down to mintage, design, and secondary market behaviour.

The 1oz Gold Kangaroo is Perth Mint's flagship gold bullion coin. It has open mintage, meaning production adjusts to demand with no fixed cap. This keeps premiums lower than limited-run issues. The Kangaroo changes its reverse design annually, giving each vintage a distinct appearance, but the high production volumes mean individual years rarely develop significant numismatic premiums. For buyers who want Perth Mint gold at the lowest cost above spot, the Kangaroo is the standard choice.

The Perth Mint Lunar series follows a 12-year Chinese zodiac cycle with a new animal each year. Lunar coins have dedicated collector followings, and earlier years in a cycle can trade at substantial premiums on the secondary market. Mintage limits vary by year and denomination. The Lunar series appeals to collectors who value thematic progression, something the one-off 125th Anniversary cannot offer.

The 125th Anniversary's key differentiator is its finality. With 25,000 gold coins produced and no future issues, the supply is permanently fixed. The Kangaroo and Lunar series will continue producing new coins indefinitely, gradually increasing total supply. For buyers who want a Perth Mint gold coin that will never be diluted by future mintage, the anniversary issue is the only current option in the bullion range.

The platinum version of the 125th Anniversary deserves mention for gold buyers considering diversification. At just 5,000 units, it is one of the scarcer modern platinum bullion coins from any sovereign mint. Perth Mint platinum coins have been discontinued at various points, making this a notable offering for those interested in both metals from the same commemorative programme.