2018-10-12 Fri

Perth Mint recently released Rare Earth 2018 5oz 99.99% pure Silver High Relief Patina Coins featuring a handset Argyle golden diamond. The reverse of this Australian legal tender coin features a depiction of a star exploding to form a supernova and the handset golden diamond at its centre. It shows lava flowing from a volcano and forming the layers of the Argyle Diamond Mine along with inscriptions RARE EARTH and The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark. The obverse features an effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, 2018, weight, fineness and denomination. Each coin is oxidised separately to give an antique patina finish. The coin comes in a black presentation box along with a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. The coin has a high relief design and a mintage limit of 1,000 pieces.

A star eventually explodes to release a cloud of galactic dust containing precious metals such as silver. This phenomenon is called Supernova. The particles released through supernova combined together to form various celestial bodies such as the planets of our solar system.

Diamonds are also formed similarly billions of years ago. They were hidden deep inside the Earth’s mantle and have slowly moved closer to the surface along with molten volcanic rocks. The golden diamond featured in this coin is 1.6 billion years old and has been excavated from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Kimberley.

Image Courtesy: The Perth Mint