Early Kookaburras are the ones collectors chase. This 1994 issue comes from the Perth Mint’s fifth year of the series, when 10 oz mintages ran a small fraction of what modern releases produce. Each coin carries 10 troy oz of .999 fine silver, a design retired after a single year, and more than three decades of secondary market history behind it.
Key Features:
- Purity and Weight: 10 troy oz of .999 fine silver
- Metal Type: Silver, struck by The Perth Mint
- Obverse Design: Effigy of Queen Elizabeth II with 10 DOLLARS denomination
- Reverse Design: Two kookaburras perched on a eucalyptus branch
The obverse carries the crowned portrait of Queen Elizabeth II facing right, wearing the Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, a drop earring, and a beaded necklace. Her hair is worked in tight curls beneath the crown. ELIZABETH II arcs up the left side and AUSTRALIA curves down the right, with 10 DOLLARS stamped along the bottom rim between two dots. A ring of large beads encircles the whole design, and the raised outer rim gives the coin a distinctive framed appearance.
The reverse pairs two kookaburras side by side on a branch, both facing left with long heavy beaks and their plumage detailed across the wings and barred tails. Eucalyptus leaves sprout from the branch above and below them. THE AUSTRALIAN KOOKABURRA curves around the left side, 10 OZ .999 SILVER runs down the right, and the year 1994 sits at the base between two dots. The design changes every year in this series, so this two-bird composition belongs to 1994 alone.
The coin measures 75.5 mm across, carries a $10 AUD face value as legal tender in Australia, and was struck with a proof-like finish on the frosted central field. Secondary market examples commonly show light toning, milk spotting, or handling marks consistent with age.
Vintage Perth Mint silver in a size and mintage that modern issues cannot match. Order the 1994 10 oz Silver Kookaburra today.