125th Anniversary Silver

Perth Mint's 125th Anniversary Silver Coin

The 125th Anniversary coin is a one-time commemorative issue from the Perth Mint, released in 2024 to celebrate the mint's founding on 20 June 1899. The silver version is a 1 oz coin struck at an unusually high 9999 fine purity (99.99%, or "four nines"), with a mintage of 150,000 units. It features a distinctive P125 mintmark that will not appear on any other Perth Mint product, making it a permanent identifier of this anniversary year.

The Perth Mint was established as the third Australian branch of Britain's Royal Mint, following Sydney (1855) and Melbourne (1872). It was built specifically to process gold from the Kalgoorlie-Coolgardie gold rush, with major discoveries in the region occurring in 1892-1893. Between 1899 and 1931, the 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 and is the only surviving Australian colonial branch of the Royal Mint; the Sydney Mint closed in 1926 and the Melbourne Mint in 1967.

The reverse design combines three animals representing the Perth Mint's most iconic bullion series: a kangaroo (representing the Gold Kangaroo, produced since 1986), a kookaburra (the Silver Kookaburra, since 1990), and a koala (the Silver Koala, since 2007). These three creatures are artistically arranged among golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha), Australia's national floral emblem, proclaimed in 1988. The design is effectively a meta-reference to the mint's own product history, created by Perth Mint artist Jennifer McKenna.

The coin also marks the first year of Dan Thorne's King Charles III effigy on a Perth Mint anniversary issue, making it a dual-transition piece that captures both the institution's 125-year milestone and the change of monarch on Australian coinage.

125th Anniversary Silver Coin Specifications

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The 9999 purity is noteworthy for silver. Most silver bullion coins, including the Silver Britannia, American Silver Eagle, and Silver Philharmonic, are struck at 999 (three nines). The Perth Mint's four-nines standard matches only the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf and the Australian Silver Kangaroo among major sovereign silver coins.

The Perth Mint applies a micro-laser engraved letter on the reverse as an anti-counterfeiting feature, detectable only under magnification. Combined with the unique P125 mintmark ("P" for Perth Mint, "125" for the anniversary), the coin has two distinct authentication markers. Each coin ships in a protective acrylic capsule.

125th Anniversary Silver Tax Treatment by Country

Australia

As legal tender of Australia under the Currency Act, the 125th Anniversary silver coin is GST-free. Investment-grade precious metal coins at 99.9% or higher purity are exempt from the 10% GST. The coin's 9999 purity far exceeds this threshold. Capital gains tax applies, with a 50% discount for individuals holding over 12 months.

United Kingdom

Silver coins carry 20% VAT in the UK. The 125th Anniversary coin is not UK legal tender and therefore not CGT-exempt. UK buyers wanting CGT-exempt silver should consider the Silver Britannia, which as UK legal tender is exempt from Capital Gains Tax. Some UK dealers offer VAT-free silver vault storage or margin scheme pricing on pre-owned coins, both of which reduce the effective purchase cost.

United States

The 9999 purity comfortably meets the IRS minimum for silver in a precious metals IRA (99.9%). The 125th Anniversary coin is IRA-eligible, which is a practical advantage for US buyers seeking portfolio diversification through a distinctive coin rather than a standard bullion product. State sales tax exemptions apply in most states; roughly 35 states exempt investment-grade silver. Capital gains are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.

Canada

Silver at 99.9% purity or above is GST/HST exempt in Canada. The coin qualifies. Capital gains are taxed at a 50% inclusion rate.

Singapore and Hong Kong

Singapore's IPM exemption covers silver coins at 99.9% purity that are or were legal tender. The 125th Anniversary coin qualifies as Australian legal tender at 9999 purity. Hong Kong has no sales tax on bullion.

New Zealand

Silver at 99.9% purity is GST-exempt in New Zealand. The coin qualifies at 9999 purity. New Zealand has no formal capital gains tax.

125th Anniversary Silver vs Perth Mint's Annual Series and Other Commemoratives

The 125th Anniversary is a one-time issue, which distinguishes it from the Perth Mint's ongoing annual series such as the Silver Kangaroo (fixed design, open mintage), the Silver Kookaburra (annual design change), and the Silver Lunar (12-year zodiac cycle). Annual series coins are continuously available in current-year releases, giving buyers predictable supply and straightforward pricing. The 125th Anniversary coin's 150,000 mintage is fixed and will not be repeated, though the number is high enough that it is unlikely to become genuinely scarce in the near term.

Compared to the gold version (25,000 mintage) and the platinum version (5,000 mintage) of the same commemorative, the silver's 150,000 mintage is substantially larger. Gold and platinum versions of anniversary coins are more likely to develop numismatic premiums over time due to their lower production volumes. The silver version is best viewed as a bullion product with commemorative appeal rather than a scarce collector piece.

Against other sovereign mint silver coins at the same 1 oz weight, the 125th Anniversary coin's 9999 purity is a modest differentiator. The Silver Maple Leaf also achieves four nines and typically trades at lower premiums due to its higher production volume and established global liquidity. The 125th Anniversary coin offers something the Maple Leaf and other standard coins cannot: the P125 mintmark and a design that captures a specific moment in Perth Mint's history. For buyers who collect Perth Mint products or value institutional milestones, this gives the coin a dimension beyond its metal content. For buyers focused on accumulating silver at the lowest premium per ounce, the standard Kangaroo or Maple Leaf remains more cost-effective.