Gold Ounce 2021 Australian Nugget - Golden Eagle, Coin from Australia - detailed information

The Australian one-ounce gold piece (abbreviated as 1 oz and designated with Au for "gold") is a bullion coin format. Uniquely, in Australia there are two mints authorised to strike legal tender: the Royal Australian Mint (which also makes the country's circulating coinage) and the Perth Mint which only makes collector and bullion coins, as well as other bullion products.

Both mints endeavour to create coins with attractive designs, and to introduce new designs and themes often, in order to raise the numismatic value of the coins over the value of previous metal used.

This gold bullion coin is the third issue of the Australian Nugget Series from the Perth Mint. After dedicating the first two issues of the Series to the "Welcome Stranger" and the "Hand of Faith" nuggets, the mint celebrates 90 years since the discovery of the Golden Eagle natural gold nugget with this issue.

The Mint says about it:
"This coin commemorates 90 years since the discovery of the Golden Eagle natural gold nugget. Named for its remarkable resemblance to a bird of prey in flight, Golden Eagle was discovered by prospector James Larcombe’s 17-year-old son at the height of the Great Depression in January 1931 near Widgiemooltha, a small town 630 kilometres east of Perth. Weighing 1,136 oz (35.3 kg), the sensational discovery remains the biggest nugget known to have been unearthed in Western Australia."

The reverses of the coins in the series are based on a 1986 four-coin set issued by the Perth Mint, the coins in which were designed by Stuart Devlin.