Gold Ounce 2021 Fraser’s Dolphin, 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.

The 2021 Fraser’s Dolphin one-ounce gold bullion coin is the third design in the Royal Australian Mint's Australian Dolphin Series.

The Fraser’s Dolphin was only officially discovered in 1956 after Francis Fraser identified the species from a mislabelled skeleton in the British Museum. Distinguishable by its cream and black flank stripes, the Fraser’s Dolphin is stocky in shape with a short beak and small dorsal fins, flippers and flukes (tail). Males can reach up to 2.7 metres long and weigh more than 200 kilograms.

Social in nature, Fraser’s Dolphins have been known to travel in pods of up to 1,000 and swim in a high-spirited fashion, creating lots of surface splashes. These dolphins also mix with other species of dolphins and even whales. Found in tropical regions of the Indian and Pacific oceans, the Fraser’s Dolphin dives deep for its food, reaching depths of up to 500 metres. With a diet of mostly fish, this dolphin also fuels itself with squid and crustaceans. While the Fraser Dolphin is still hunted by some countries, the International Union for Conservation of Nature lists its conservation status as "least concern".