1 oz Bird of Paradise Gold Coin

Perth Mint's Bird of Paradise Gold Coin

The 1 oz Perth Mint Bird of Paradise Gold Coin is part of a short-lived Australian bullion series that ran for just two years, 2018 and 2019, before being discontinued. Each year featured a different bird-of-paradise species native to the Australasian region: the 2018 coin depicted Victoria's Riflebird, and the 2019 coin showed the Trumpet Manucode (Manucodia). Both years were struck in .9999 fine gold with a face value of $100 AUD and a mintage of just 5,000 pieces per year.

The series stands out for two reasons. First, its brevity: only two of the 40-plus known bird-of-paradise species were featured before the programme ended, leaving considerable unrealised potential. Second, the Perth Mint struck both the gold and silver versions at .9999 purity, a notable choice given that most Perth Mint silver bullion uses .999 fine silver. The four-nines silver was a deliberate differentiator, aligning the silver coins with the purity standard of the Canadian Maple Leaf, one of only a handful of silver bullion programmes worldwide at that purity.

The combination of discontinued status, low mintage, and Perth Mint provenance has pushed secondary-market premiums above typical bullion levels. Buyers seeking this coin are paying for scarcity and collectibility on top of the gold content. For pure gold accumulation at the 1oz gold coin weight, higher-volume Perth Mint products like the Kangaroo offer better value per ounce.

Bird of Paradise Gold Coin Specifications

Design Details by Year

The 2018 coin features Victoria's Riflebird (Ptiloris victoriae), the only bird-of-paradise species found on mainland Australia, restricted to tropical rainforests in far north Queensland. The reverse depicts the bird with wings spread wide and beak open, executing its dramatic courtship display. The 2019 coin shows the Trumpet Manucode, a species from New Guinea's lowland forests. The design, by Perth Mint artist Jennifer McKenna, captures the bird calling from a branch. The Trumpet Manucode is unusual among birds-of-paradise: it has an extended windpipe that acts like a wind instrument, producing a distinctive resonant song, and unlike most of its family, it is monogamous.

Both years carry the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. Coins are shipped in protective plastic capsules with the Perth Mint "P" mintmark on the reverse.

Tax Treatment for the Bird of Paradise Gold Coin

As a .9999 fine Australian legal tender gold coin, the Bird of Paradise qualifies for investment gold exemptions in all major markets.

• Australia: GST-exempt as investment-grade gold (purity exceeds the 99.5% threshold). Capital gains tax applies, with a 50% discount if held for more than 12 months.
• United Kingdom: VAT-exempt as investment gold. As legal tender from a Commonwealth country, it is likely CGT-exempt in the UK. Gold coins from Commonwealth nations with legal tender status and purity above 900 fine generally qualify.
• United States: IRA-eligible. The .9999 purity exceeds the IRS minimum of 99.5% for gold. State sales tax varies; approximately 35 states fully exempt bullion. Capital gains taxed as collectibles at up to 28%.
• European Union: VAT-exempt as investment gold under EU Council Directive 98/80/EC.
• Canada: GST/HST exempt at 99.5%+ purity.
• Singapore: Qualifies as an Investment Precious Metal. No capital gains tax.
• Hong Kong: No sales tax, no import duty, no capital gains tax.

Pre-owned Bird of Paradise coins on the UK secondary market have been listed as VAT-free through margin-scheme dealers (Atkinsons, for example, has offered the silver version this way), though the gold version is VAT-exempt regardless of whether it is new or pre-owned.

A Two-Year Series with an Ornithological Focus

The Bird of Paradise programme was announced by the Perth Mint in 2018 as an annual series showcasing different bird-of-paradise species from the Australasian region. Birds-of-paradise are among the most visually spectacular birds on Earth, famous for the males' elaborate plumage and courtship rituals. Sir David Attenborough described them as "the most romantic birds in the world." The Australasian region (primarily New Guinea and eastern Australia) is the global centre of diversity for these birds, with over 40 known species.

The 2018 Victoria's Riflebird was a fitting inaugural subject: the species was named after Queen Victoria, creating a pleasing connection with the Elizabeth II portrait on the obverse. The bird's dramatic wings-spread mating display, reproduced on the coin, is one of the most photographed behaviours in ornithology. The 2019 Trumpet Manucode shifted to a New Guinea species, signalling the series' intent to range across the full geographic spread of bird-of-paradise habitat.

No further issues appeared after 2019, and no official cancellation announcement has been found. The series simply stopped. This abrupt end, combined with the 5,000-piece gold mintage (low by Perth Mint standards), has given both years collector significance. For comparison, the Perth Mint's ongoing Kangaroo and Kookaburra gold coins have unlimited or very high mintages, making the Bird of Paradise's 10,000 total gold coins across both years genuinely scarce in the Perth Mint catalogue.

European distribution was handled by Auragentum, a German bullion distributor, indicating the Perth Mint's intention to reach beyond Australasian and North American markets with this series.

Bird of Paradise vs Other Perth Mint Gold Coins

Within the Perth Mint's range, the Bird of Paradise sits in a different category from the mint's mass-market bullion coins. The Gold Kangaroo, Kookaburra, and Koala are all ongoing series with high or unlimited mintages, designed for cost-efficient gold accumulation. The Bird of Paradise, with its 5,000-piece annual gold mintage and discontinued status, is positioned as a collector-bullion crossover.

The closest Perth Mint comparison is to other limited-run series like the Gold Emu and the Wedge-Tailed Eagle. These share the pattern of limited mintages and annual wildlife designs, but the Bird of Paradise's two-year-only run makes it the scarcest of the group. The Perth Mint Lunar series, in its third iteration (2020-2031), offers similar annual design changes but at much higher volumes.

Against international 1oz gold coins, the Bird of Paradise's secondary-market premium places it above the 1oz Gold Britannia, 1oz Gold Maple Leaf, and 1oz Gold Krugerrand on a cost-per-ounce basis. Buyers choosing the Bird of Paradise are paying for the scarcity premium and the Perth Mint's wildlife design quality, not for the lowest-cost gold exposure.

The .9999 purity matches the Maple Leaf and Philharmonic, exceeding the 22-karat alloys of the Krugerrand and American Gold Eagle. For purity-conscious buyers, this is a positive feature, though it is shared by all of Perth Mint's modern gold bullion output.