The Australian Koala Silver Bullion Coin is produced by the Perth Mint of Australia and is one of the more popular bullion strikes in the world since first being offered in 2007. Not only do investors seek the 99.9% pure silver coins to add to their portfolios, but collectors also buy them owing in large part to their subject matter and the fact that the Perth changes the reverse designs annually.

Traditionally, the Australian Koala Silver Coins have been available in four different sizes from the Perth Mint — 1 kilo, 10 ounce, 1 ounce and 1/2 ounce with face values of (AUS) $30, $10, $1 and $.50, respectively. However, beginning in 2011, the Perth also started offering a fifth option to the line-up, the 1/10 ounce ten cent strike.

Mintages on these strikes varies wildly based on the year, just like other world bullion coins. The table below shows the official mintage figures released by the Perth Mint:

Since their introduction in 2007, the Perth Mint has changed the reverse design of the coin annually. A brief description of each year follows:

• 2007 Silver Koala – stuck with a special ‘shimmer’ background, the koala on this design is shown clinging precariously to the branch of a gum tree
• 2008 Silver Koala – again containing the ‘shimmer’ background, an adult koala is depicted sitting on a tree branch with its young clinging to its back
• 2009 Silver Koala – a young koala is seen on this reverse, once again including the ‘shimmer’ background
• 2010 Silver Koala – the table of this coin contains a delicate frost effect with a young koala shown eating gum leaves
• 2011 Silver Koala – An adult koala is resting in the fork of a eucalyptus tree with its young (joey) shown clinging to one of the branches

All coins are considered legal tender under the Australian Currency Act of 1965, but their true value lies either in the intrinsic melt value, or their numismatic value.