The Perth Mint Releases 2010 Discover Australia The Dreaming Silver, Gold, and Platinum Coins

The Perth Mint of Australia has issued the 2010 releases for the Discover Australia The Dreaming Series. This three year series features fifteen different Australian animals by Indigenous designer Darryl Bellotti. Each year five different animals are depicted on gold, silver, and platinum coins with a different design for each composition.

The 2010 releases of the Dreaming Series feature the Common Wombat, Frilled Neck Lizard, Koala, Platypus, and Saltwater Crocodile. Each design is rendered in a unique contemporary style which is intended to pay homage to Australian indigenous art. Since there is a different design for each composition, there are a total of fifteen different designs issued for the year.

The silver coins are struck in one ounce of 99.9% pure silver. The obverse bears the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. The reverse features a unique depiction of each animal with a color pattern in the background. The coins are available individually or as a five coin year set. These options are packaged in presenatation cases with numbered certificates of authenticity. The mintage for each coin is limited to 10,000.

The gold coins of the Dreaming Series have a purity of 99.99% and are available in 1/2 oz, 1/10 oz, and 1/25 oz sizes. The obverse of each bears the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II and the reverse features the unique interpretation of each animal. The coins are available individually or with five coin year sets for each size coin. Options are packaged in timber lid presentation cases with a stylized shipper and numbered certificate of authenticity. The mintages have been set at a maximum of 1,000 of the 1/2 oz coins, 2,500 of the 1/10 oz coins, and 25,000 of the 1/25 oz coins.

The platinum coins of the Dreaming Series have a purity of 99.95% and are available in 1/2 oz and 1/10 oz sizes. The obverse bears the effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with the legal tender face value. The reverse features another unique design for each animal enhanced with a colored pattern background. The coins are available individually or as a five coin year set for each fractional weight. Each offering is packaged in a presentation case with timber lid and shipper, accompanied by numbered certificates of authenticity. The maximum mintages have been set at 1,000 for each 1/10 oz coin and 2,500 for each 1/10 oz coin.

The five animals to be depicted on the 2011 Discover Australia the Dreaming coins will be the Dingo, Emu, Great White Shark, Kookaburra, and Tasmanian Devil. Next year's releases will represent the final coins of the three year series.

[Perth Mint Product Pages: Silver Coins - Gold Coins - Platinum Coins]