Introduction
Gold has outperformed all other asset classes in recent years and especially since the start of the global financial and economic crisis. This trend looks likely to continue and investors are increasingly realizing that they need to diversify their portfolios with an allocation to gold bullion. So how does one go about making a safe investment in gold? There are numerous precious metal investment vehicles now available. These include futures and options contracts, government certificates, digital gold, exchange traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, mining shares, as well as direct ownership of physical bullion. All options enable investors to add gold or gold related investments to an investment portfolio but some are more risky than others due to leverage, recurring charges and counter party risk.

Government Minted Bullion Coins
Precious metal bullion products are unique in their nature, complexity and risk. Thus, investing in them requires an understanding of their individual features, their advantages and disadvantages and their risks and rewards. In a world of significant macroeconomic, monetary and systemic risk, one of the easier and safest ways for individuals to invest in precious metals is to purchase bullion coins, and either take delivery of the tangible asset or have it stored in the safest way possible (hyperlink to ‘Storing Bullion Internationally’).

Australian Gold Bullion Coins
Some of the most popular bullion coins in the world are Canadian Maple Leafs, American Eagles, South African Krugerrands, Chinese Pandas and Austrian Philharmonics. Australia offers the gold Australian Kangaroo or Nugget bullion coins which are favoured by many bullion owners.

If you are looking to invest in gold, gold coins struck by the historic Perth Mint should definitely be considered.

Established in 1899 as a branch of Britain’s Royal Mint, The Perth Mint is today owned and operated by the Government of Western Australia and remains Australia’s oldest operating Mint.

The Perth Mint applies traditional crafting skills with modern minting techniques to strikes Australia’s official Gold and Silver Bullion Coin Program from 0.9999 fine gold (99.99% purity) and 0.999 fine silver (99.9% purity). The weight and purity of its precious metals is guaranteed by the Government of Western Australia, while the legal tender status of the Australian Kangaroo or Nugget Gold Bullion Coin Series is authorized by the Commonwealth Government of Australia.

Each series of the Australian Gold Coin Program offers annual design changes, intricate beautiful features on delicately frosted tables, select limited mintages, a range of size options, official legal tender status, a government guarantee of each coin’s weight and purity, protective acrylic capsules, low premiums, and liquidity. Combined these features contribute to the coins’ numismatic appreciation over time, making them highly sought-after by investors and collectors alike.

The Australian Kangaroo
The Australian Kangaroo (Nugget) gold coins feature a new design of Australia’s most famous marsupial – the kangaroo – each year. The only exception is the large 1 kilo size release, which maintains a classic kangaroo design created by Dr Stuart Devlin, AO, CMG, goldsmith and jeweller to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1987, the year of the last Wall Street crash, The Perth Mint introduced the Australian Nugget 1oz gold bullion coin, with the first release featuring an image of the world’s largest gold nugget, the 2,284oz ‘Welcome Stranger’ nugget, which was found in Victoria in 1869. For the next three years, other significant natural nuggets were showcased on this unique program.

Since 1990, the Australian Nugget has carried different portraits of the uniquely Australian animal – the kangaroo – and as a result, it has become known as the Australian Kangaroo.

In 2010, the 1/10oz, 1/4oz, 1/2oz and 1oz coins will display two kangaroos boxing in the Australian outback, with no more than 350,000 1oz coins, 100,000 1/2oz coins, 150,000 1/4oz coins and 200,000 1/10oz coins issued, while the mintage of the 1 kilo coin is unlimited. Issued as lawful currency under the Australian Currency Act 1965, Australian Kangaroo coins feature the Ian Rank-Broadley’s effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the obverse. Each coin in the series is housed in a hard acrylic presentation capsule.

Introduced in 1991, the impressive Australian Kangaroo 1 kilo gold coin is the sole, largest gold bullion coin in regular mintage. Larger-sized bullion coins are relatively uncommon and not readily available in Europe and internationally. However, as an international bullion dealer and approved dealer for The Perth Mint, Goldcore does have access to this and other large-sized bullion coin product lines.

Conclusion
Whether you decide to take possession of your precious metals or have them stored safely on your behalf with a secure third party, Australian Gold Kangaroo coins are an attractive alternative to other bullion products. The range of bullion coins issued by The Perth Mint offers investors and collectors a range of features which combine to add value to their precious metals, making each series of these beautiful gold coins a firm favourite.

For more information on current and future gold bullion coins released by The Perth Mint, including the recently released 2010 Australian Gold Bullion Coin Program, contact the GoldCore Bullion Services Team on:

(Irl) +353 1 632 5010

(UK) +44 203 086 9200

(US) +1(302)635 1160