1 oz Emu Silver Coin

Perth Mint's Limited-Mintage Annual Design Series

The 1 oz Australian Emu is a silver bullion coin produced by the Perth Mint since 2018, featuring a new emu design each year by a different artist. Struck in .9999 fine silver (four nines), it carries a face value of AUD $1 as Australian legal tender. The fixed annual mintage of 30,000 pieces makes it one of the most limited-production bullion coins from any government-backed mint.

That 30,000-piece cap is the Emu's defining characteristic. The Perth Mint's mass-market bullion coins, the Australian Kangaroo and Kookaburra, are produced in far higher quantities. The Emu was conceived as a limited-mintage alternative, positioned between pure bullion and numismatic territory. The strategy has proven effective: 2018 inaugural-year coins already trade at significant collector premiums on the secondary market.

Each year's reverse is created by a different artist, giving the series visual variety that static-design coins cannot match. The 2018 debut by Jennifer McKenna showed a walking emu. The 2021 coin by Monique Reeves featured an emu with a juvenile. The 2023 design by Sean Rogers depicted an emu with chicks, and the 2025 coin by Neil Hollis shows a mother emu with five chicks. The 2024 coin included a "P125" mintmark commemorating the Perth Mint's 125th anniversary.

The .9999 purity is a genuine technical distinction. Most competing silver bullion coins are struck at .999 (three nines), including the 1 oz Silver Britannia and the 1 oz Austrian Philharmonic. Only the 1 oz Canadian Silver Maple Leaf matches the Emu's four-nines standard among major sovereign mints. Perth Mint's standard anti-counterfeiting measure, a micro-laser engraved letter on the reverse detectable only under magnification, is included.

Australian Emu 1 oz Silver Specifications

Design Timeline

Collector variants expand the range beyond the standard BU. Coloured editions feature selective colour printing applied to the emu design, with a mintage of 2,500 for the 2025 edition. The 2025 programme included a collaboration with Aboriginal artist Chern'ee Sutton (Kalkadoon woman), producing the "Emu Utingat" 2 oz antiqued coloured coin with a mintage of just 2,000 pieces. A 1 oz gold BU version (.9999 fine, AUD $100 face value) is issued annually with a mintage of 5,000.

Perth Mint's standard anti-counterfeiting measure, a micro-laser engraved letter on the reverse that is detectable only under magnification, is included on all Emu coins. Each coin is supplied in a protective acrylic capsule. The 40.90 mm diameter is slightly larger than the 38-39 mm standard for most 1 oz silver coins, giving the Emu a broader canvas for its annually changing designs.

Australian Emu Tax Treatment by Country

The Emu is Australian legal tender with a face value of AUD $1. Its .9999 silver purity means it meets or exceeds the investment-grade thresholds in all major bullion markets.

Australia

Both the silver and gold versions are GST-free under Investment Body rules. The .9999 purity comfortably exceeds the 99.9% threshold for investment-grade silver. As an Australian product purchased from Australian dealers, no import duties apply. Capital gains tax applies to investment bullion held for profit, but a 50% CGT discount is available for holdings of more than 12 months.

United Kingdom

Silver versions are subject to 20% VAT on purchase. The Emu is not UK legal tender, so it is not CGT-exempt on disposal. Capital gains are taxed at the individual's rate (18%/24%), subject to the annual allowance. UK buyers seeking CGT exemption on silver should consider the 1 oz Silver Britannia. Gold versions qualify as investment gold (VAT-exempt) but are still subject to CGT.

United States

Not US legal tender. The .9999 silver purity exceeds the IRS Section 408(m) threshold of 99.9% for IRA-eligible silver. Sales tax treatment varies by state. Capital gains on bullion are taxed at the collectibles rate of up to 28%.

Canada

The .9999 purity exceeds the 99.9% threshold for GST/HST exemption. Tax-free on purchase.

New Zealand

Silver at 99.9%+ purity is GST-exempt. The Emu's .9999 purity qualifies. Some New Zealand dealers also offer Perth Mint products alongside domestic stock.

Singapore and Hong Kong

Singapore's IPM scheme covers qualifying silver at 99.9%+ purity (GST-exempt). Hong Kong has no sales tax, import duty, or capital gains tax. The Perth Mint has a strong presence in both Asian markets.

From Distributor Exclusive to Global Collector Favourite

The Emu series launched in 2018 as a distributor-exclusive programme managed by Metal Market EU, a European bullion distributor. This arrangement meant the coins were initially harder to source in markets outside Europe, adding to their scarcity appeal. The series has since become more widely available through Perth Mint's global dealer network, though the fixed 30,000-unit mintage ensures supply remains constrained.

The emu itself is one of Australia's two coat-of-arms animals, alongside the kangaroo. The pair was chosen because neither animal can easily walk backwards, symbolising national progress. The emu is the world's second-tallest living bird (after the ostrich) and is endemic to Australia, making it a natural subject for Australian bullion.

The Emu is not part of the Perth Mint's "Next Generation" series, which featured the Koala, Crocodile, Kookaburra, Platypus, Dingo, and Kangaroo on a rotating basis. It is a standalone annual programme with its own identity. The 2024 obverse transitioned from the Queen Elizabeth II portrait to the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III, following the same timeline as other Perth Mint bullion.

The palladium Emu coin (1995-1998) from the Perth Mint is a separate, unrelated series. The current silver and gold Emu programme launched fresh in 2018 with no direct lineage to the palladium predecessor, though the shared subject creates occasional buyer confusion.

Emu vs Other Perth Mint and Sovereign Silver Coins

Within the Perth Mint's own range, the Emu occupies a distinct niche. The Kookaburra has run since 1990 with annual design changes and far higher mintages (unlimited in many years). The Koala follows a similar model. Both are priced closer to spot and offer greater liquidity. The Kangaroo is Perth Mint's mass-market bullion coin with very high production runs.

The Emu's 30,000-piece annual limit makes it roughly 10-50 times scarcer than its Perth Mint stablemates in a typical year. This scarcity translates directly into premiums: the Emu trades at a consistent markup above the Kangaroo or Kookaburra. The tradeoff is narrower resale liquidity. A Kangaroo will sell instantly through any dealer; an Emu may require a specialist buyer or command a slightly wider bid-ask spread.

Against international sovereign silver, the Emu's .9999 purity matches the 1 oz Canadian Silver Maple Leaf and exceeds the .999 standard of the 1 oz Silver Britannia, 1 oz American Silver Eagle, and 1 oz Silver Krugerrand. None of these competitors impose a mintage cap comparable to 30,000 units.

The annual design change is another differentiator. Fixed-design coins (Eagle, Britannia, Krugerrand) look identical year after year, removing any date-specific collector interest. The Emu's rotating artists and compositions make individual years distinct and collectible. For buyers who want both bullion exposure and secondary-market appreciation potential from limited supply and changing designs, the Emu is one of the strongest options from any sovereign mint. For buyers focused purely on accumulating silver at the lowest premium, high-volume sovereign coins remain more efficient.