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When it comes to the Perth Mint, the marquee bullion coin is the Australian Lunar. However, the 1 oz Australian Gold Kangaroo is older than the Lunar, and it offers a troy ounce of gold minted at a .9999 purity level from one of the most respected sources in the world.

1 oz Australian Gold Kangaroo Price

Like any gold product, the base point for the value and price of a 1 oz Australian Gold Kangaroo is the spot price for a troy ounce of gold. Though the spot price technically isn’t the market price of gold - it’s the price for soon-to-expire gold futures contracts - it is used as such by investors and dealers the world over.

The other part of the equation for the price of a Kangaroo is the amount of premium that dealers charge as their fee. For Kangaroos, the premiums fall between 2.5% and 6.25%, which is roughly average among the other 1 oz bullion coins on the market.

In a sense, then, the Australian Gold Kangaroo offers much of the same value you’d find with a Canadian Gold Maple Leaf, an Austrian Philharmonic, or its sister product, the Lunar. All of these coins have a troy ounce of gold minted at a 99.99% purity level and come with similar premium percentages.

The premium percentages are also a reflection of the liquidity of the Kangaroos. Like the other coins mentioned, it should be relatively easy to sell them to interested buyers. However, the demand may not be as high as it is for, say, American Gold Eagles or Gold Buffalos.

Find the Lowest Price on 1 oz Australian Gold Kangaroo (200-300 words)

Now, the smart coin collector is not going to take the premium lying down. If you want to make sure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck, you want to buy Australian Gold Kangaroos in a way that minimizes the premium you pay. So, here are a few ways to do that.

First, you should shop around. The Kangaroo is fairly common, and in the information age, it is foolish simply to accept the first price you see. We recommend the following dealers:

• JM Bullion
• Silver.com
• BGASC.com
• Provident Metals

However, this list is not exhaustive. You should endeavor to find the best deal you can - so long as the dealer offering it is legitimate, reputable, and has no history of shady acts.

Once you’ve settled on a dealer, the first thing to do is stick to regularly minted coins. Proofs and uncirculated coins are made especially for collectors and have much more rigorous minting and handling standards. All of that care comes with a higher price tag.

Now, one strategy that works for many gold bullion coins may be challenging for Gold Kangaroos. If you can buy in bulk - 10 coins in a single tube, for instance - your per coin value will be lower. However, finding a tube of Kangaroos is tricky, so don’t bet on exercising this approach.

Finally, if you can accept receiving a 1 oz Australian Gold Kangaroo from a random year, rather than a specific one, you will get a break on the cost. Kangaroos pulled from the dealer’s stock may not be the most desirable ones, but they still have the same value - a troy ounce of .9999 fine gold from the Perth Mint.

Description (250-350 words)

The South African Krugerrand put many sovereign mints in a position to respond. The combination of the coin’s monopoly on the bullion coin market and South Africa’s distasteful apartheid policies made the Krugerrand both a competitive and political target.

Thus, the Perth Mint unveiled the coin that would become the Australian Gold Kangaroo in 1986. The debut filled the void left by the government’s ban on the import of Krugerrands. Coincidentally, 1986 was the same year that the United States debuted its first bullion coin, the American Gold Eagle.

Unlike the US, however, the Perth Mint sought to create a purer product than the 22-karat Krugerrand. It likely drew its inspiration from Canada’s Gold Maple Leaf instead when it released the Australian Gold Nugget. Thus, all Gold Kangaroos contain 99.99% fine gold.

The first four years of production launched coins with different styles of gold nuggets as their imagery. However, in 1990, the Perth Mint shifted the coin’s design to the kangaroo - the largest land animal and, likely, Australia’s best-known native wildlife.

Though the exact design of the coin has changed over time, it has had versions of the same two honorees on every single mintage. The obverse of the 1 oz Kangaroo features the sitting British monarch as a tribute to Australia’s deep and close ties with Great Britain. From 1990 until 2023, each Gold Kangaroo displayed an image of Queen Elizabeth II.

However, after her death in November 2022 and the ascension of her son, Charles III, to the throne, the newest Gold Kangaroos feature him on their obverses instead.

The reverse of the coin is the image that gives the coins their name. Although the exact activity or portrait capture has changed frequently over the years, every Gold Kangaroo has featured its trademark marsupial on its reverse.

Coin Highlights

If you just want the highlights of the 1 oz Australian Gold Kangaroo, that’s no problem. Consider the quick hits below:

• 1 troy ounce.
• .9999 purity.
• The coin first appeared in 1986 as the Australian Gold Nugget..
• It became the Gold Kangaroo in 1990.
• The obverse features the sitting monarch of Great Britain at the time of minting.
• The reverse features a depiction of a kangaroo or kangaroos in various states.
• Face value of AU$100.
• Eligible for IRAs.

Fractional Coins

As is often the case for sovereign mints, the Perth Mint does produce fractional versions of the Gold Kangaroo. At present, you can buy Gold Kangaroos in ½ oz, ¼ oz, and 1/10 oz sizes. 

Now, the allure of these coins is obvious. They cost less to buy than the 1 oz Gold Kangaroo. With gold prices firmly above $2,000 an ounce, buying a 1 oz coin of it might be too expensive for many investors - particularly those at the beginning of their careers.

However, you must know the drawback associated with buying the smaller-weight coins. Namely, there are extra costs that the Perth Mint undertakes to produce smaller currency. 

Those costs are passed along to you, the consumer, in the form of increased premium percentages. Even though the overall price is less, you are paying proportionally more for the smaller coins.

Compare prices for fractional coins

• ½ oz Gold Kangaroos
• ¼ oz Gold Kangaroos
• 1/10 oz Gold Kangaroos

Specifications