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 premium bullion coin is part of the Australian Antarctic Territory Series by the Royal Australian Mint, and features the Emperor Penguin.
The Australian Antarctic Territory (AAT) is a part of East Antarctica claimed by Australia as an external territory. The territory's history dates to a claim on Enderby Land made by the United Kingdom in 1841, which was subsequently expanded and eventually transferred to Australia in 1933. It is the largest territory of Antarctica claimed by any nation by area.
Named in honour of naturalist Johann Forster, who travelled with Captain James Cook on his second voyage of discovery (1772 - 1775), the Emperor Penguin (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the largest of all penguins, growing to around a metre tall. Emperors are endemic to Antarctica, including the Australian Antarctic Territory. They are well adapted to the frigid southern continent and alone among penguins, are capable of breeding during the icy winter.
Once regarded as a species of least concern, Emperor Penguins are now classed as near threatened, due to reduction of their food source from commercial fishing and climate change induced loss of sea ice. |