The Perth Mint Celebrates with Cake for 125th Birthday – and a Special Sovereign Coin
It was on 20 June, in 1899 that The Perth Mint opened its iconic green doors in East Perth. The Mint has been operating continuously ever since and in 2022-23 produced more than 19 million coins from the heritage premises.
Birthday Celebration: Employees of the Perth Mint toast to the 125th anniversary. Photo: The Perth Mint.
It is recognised as Australia’s oldest working mint and refines almost 80 per cent of Australia’s newly mined gold.
The Mint is celebrating the anniversary with a range of activities on site, including a special Mint-shaped birthday cake, the pouring of a 125th anniversary branded gold bar on the tour, snapping a selfie at The Perth Mint gold shimmer wall and viewing historic memorabilia from 1899 which is on display for the first time.
Visitors could catch a free ride to the Mint from the city center on a Perth Mint branded rickshaw and recharge with a free sweet treat before taking the tour.
The birthday celebration also saw the release of the limited mintage 125th Anniversary Australia Sovereign 2024 Gold Proof Coin which commemorates the gold sovereigns which were produced at the Mint until 1931. The design of the new coin is a modern reimagining of the original classic St George and the Dragon design.
The Sovereign gold coin is a British gold coin that was first minted in 1489 under King Henry VII. It achieved great fame and became an internationally recognized commercial coin in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Sovereign is made of 22 carat gold (91.67% pure gold) and has a weight of 7.98 grams, with the gold weight being 7.32 grams. The coin is characterized by its classic design, which features the portrait of the reigning monarch on the obverse and the iconic image of St. George fighting the dragon on the reverse.
The minting of Sovereign gold coins at the Perth Mint in Australia began in 1899 and ended in 1931. The Perth Mint, one of Australia’s oldest mints, was originally established to convert the gold mined from the Australian goldfields into coins. The coins from the Perth Mint bear a small “P” mintmark, which distinguishes them from other mints. Australian sovereign gold coins also bear an “M” for the Royal Mint, Melbourne mint or “S” for the Royal Mint, Sydney mint.
For the 125th birthday of the Perth Mint, a contemporary interpretation of the Sovereign trade coin is released. Photo: The Perth Mint.
The birthday cake was cut by the Mint’s longest-serving employee, Neil Rogers, and one of the newest, Chloe Hersey.
Neil, who is Manager Coining and Production, has 38 years under his belt after starting out as a general laborer in 1986. “I’m so proud to be a part of this occasion. It was fantastic seeing everybody celebrating our 125 years today,” Neil said. “I usually just like to get on with my job without any fuss, but this has been great. I’ve loved it.”
Chloe recently joined the Mint as Supervisor Visitor Services. “One of the most surprising aspects of working here has been the sheer number of tourists visiting from all corners of the globe,” she said. “It’s incredible to see people from diverse backgrounds and cultures come together with a shared interest in our products and the history of minting.”
Throughout its 125-year history, The Perth Mint has contributed to the Western Australian community, refining gold and exporting value-added coins and minted bars across the world. Combining traditional skills with the latest technological advancements it has developed into Australia’s largest fully integrated precious metals enterprise.
The Mint opened as a branch of Britain’s Royal Mint but since 1970 it has operated under the ownership of the WA Government on behalf of the people of WA. In more recent decades, the Mint has offered one of Perth’s most popular tourist attractions with the exhibition and Gold Tour opening in 1993 in its heritage premises.
