2018-09-18 Tue

Perth Mint issued an Antique Finish high relief .9999 fine silver $8 coin called The Rare Earth for Tuvalu. The reverse features a design of a star exploding into a supernova, with a 0.035-carat golden diamond at its centre. Lava is shown coming out from a volcano, forming the Argyle diamond mine, where diamonds originated. Other inscriptions include the text RARE EARTH and “P” for Perth Mint’s Mint mark. The obverse features an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II; 2018 year-date; weight and fineness, and face value.

Each coin is oxidized separately to achieve a patina effect and make it resemble like an old artefact. The appearance and colouration of each coin differ due to this process. The coin is packaged in a black presentation box along with a numbered certificate of authenticity. The 155.533 grams coin has a diameter of 55.5 millimetres and is 8 millimetres thick. It has a mintage limit of 1,000 pieces and can be purchased for $379.95 U.S.

The naturally coloured golden diamond on the coin is 1.6 billion years old and was extracted from the Argyle diamond mine in Kimberley. During the last stages of a star’s lifecycle, a humongous explosion takes place and the phenomenon is called as Supernova. Precious metals like silver are formed during supernova explosions. These metals formed a cloud of galactic dust that combined to create our solar system. Diamonds were also formed this way billions of years ago but were stationed deep in the Earth’s mantle. Many years later, they started moving upwards towards the surface along with streams of molten volcanic rock.

Image Courtesy: Perth Mint