2012 Australian Olympic Team 10g Gold Proof Coin - Perth Mint Australia Gold

2012 Australian Olympic Team 10g Gold Proof Coin at The Perth Mint, featuring:

• Proof Quality 99.99% Pure Gold
• Extremely Limited Mintage – 2,012
• Australian Legal Tender
• Presentation Packaging
• Numbered Certificate of Authenticity
• Available Individually or in a Three-Coin Set
• Authorised by the Australian Olympic Committee

From the awe inspiring opening ceremony to the sheer excitement of the competition, the London 2012 Olympic Games will feature thousands of athletes, 26 sports and 205 participating countries.
As the Olympic torch is lit, so will it ignite the hopes of all Australians, to hear again the famous words uttered by Norman May, “Gold! Gold to Australia! Gold!”

Proof Quality 99.99% Pure Gold

The coin is struck by The Perth Mint from 10g of 99.99% pure gold in proof quality.

Original Reverse Design

The coin’s reverse portrays an Olympic athlete, holding the Australian flag aloft and standing on a podium. The design includes the Official Team logo, the inscriptions 2012 AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC TEAM and GOLD! GOLD TO AUSTRALIA! GOLD!

Extremely Limited Mintage

No more than 2,012 coins will be issued by The Perth Mint.

Australian Legal Tender

Issued as Australian legal tender, the coin's obverse bears the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the monetary denomination.

Presentation Packaging and Certificate of Authenticity

The coin is presented in a display case with a themed, souvenir shipper and accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

End of Australia's Mining Boom Inevitable: Hockey

Opposition treasury spokesman Joe Hockey has described the federal government's forecast budget surplus as smoke and mirrors after a new report tipping the end of the mining boom.

A Deloitte Access Economics report says Australia's mining boom is about to peak and an economic slowdown is inevitable.

Mr Hockey says the report confirms the coalition's criticism of the government's economic management.

"The government has built a budget that is wholly captive to the mining boom and the taxes to be collected from mining taxes," he told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

"Now it's apparent the budget is unravelling because it was built on smoke and mirrors."
The shadow treasurer said the government had failed to address the inevitable economic downturn that followed an economic peak.

"Every boom ends, otherwise it wouldn't be a boom," Mr Hockey said.

"When the mining boom sneezes, the budget gets pneumonia."

The coalition said the government now needed to explain how it would scramble back to a forecast $1.5 billion budget surplus for 2012/13.

"I'm calling on the government to come clean about what taxes and what levies it will introduce to try and make up for the budget black hole," Mr Hockey said.

Australia's Commodities Price Boom is Over: Ferguson

Australia blew the last mining boom and can no longer rely on high commodities prices, federal Resources Minister Martin Ferguson says, as China's economy continues to slow.

"From here on in, the premium prices are gone," Mr Ferguson told AAP at the opening of the new Australian Minerals Research Centre in Perth on Friday.

"We're not going to see iron ore at $US180-$US190 a tonne, we're not going to see thermal coal at about $US170 (a tonne), coking coal at about $US320 a tonne any more.

"The only way we will maintain our revenue stream as a country, at a state and federal level, is if we expand capacity."

While Australia was in the midst of the greatest mining boom in its history - with $270 billion committed to future projects and $230 billion more potentially on the way - it had failed to fully cash in on the previous boom of the mid-2000s, the resources minister said.

"Australia did not, as a nation, and nor did the companies, get the last resources boom right," he said.
"China grew quicker than expected - they failed to invest in capacity and we lost market share."

Mr Ferguson said Australia was already disadvantaged by its high labour costs and the resources sector needed to be more efficient.

"We are, in essence, a high-wage economy," he said.

"As grades fall and input costs rise, the Australian resources sector will only continue to prosper if more efficient mining and processing techniques are implemented.

"For Australia to remain competitive in a global market in which low-wage competitors are emerging every year, we must ensure that we develop and employ technology."

As mining profits were squeezed, the nation needed to transform itself into a major exporter of minerals and petroleum services and technology, Mr Ferguson said.

This sector was already vibrant, worth $8.9 billion in global sales in 2008/09, he said.

The minister's reality check came as Australia's main trading partner, China, reported that its economic growth had slowed to a three-year low of 7.6 per cent for the June quarter, down from 8.1 per cent in the previous quarter.

Australian Koala 2012 Gold Proof Coins Released by Perth Mint

Marking the fifth year for the gold coin series, the Perth Mint of Australia has released four 2012 Australian Koala Gold Proof Coins, including one in high-relief.

These four strikes are featured in different sizes but all contain the same reverse image chosen by the Perth Mint for use on its series of 2012 koala coins.

Sizes for the Koala Gold Proof Coins include 2 ounces, 1 ounce, 1/10 ounce and 1/25 ounce. The 1 ounce strike is featured in high-relief. All four are struck to proof quality from 99.99% pure gold.
Coins of the series debuted in 2008. They followed a companion series of silver coins which made their first appearance the previous year.

The Perth Mint changes the reverse design of the koala coins annually. In 2008, an adult koala was depicted sitting on a eucalyptus tree branch with its young clinging to its back. In 2009, a single koala was shown sitting on one branch while using its front paws to grasp another. They followed that design in 2010 with a koala clinging to a branch with all fours as it munched on eucalyptus leaves. Last year’s 2011 image depicted an adult koala in the fork of a eucalyptus tree as its young clings to one of the branches.

The design chosen for 2012 shows an adult koala sleeping on the branch of a eucalyptus tree. It was designed by Perth Mint artist Alesha Howarth.

Reverse inscriptions on the coin include the size of the strike along with "9999 GOLD." The Perth Mint’s historic ‘P’ mintmark is also shown on the reverse.

The obverse contains Ian Rank-Broadley’s effigy of Queen Elizabeth II. It is surrounded by
the inscriptions of "ELIZABETH II," "AUSTRALIA," the year and the face value of the coin.

Each of these Australian Koala Gold Proof Coins is struck as legal tender of Australia. The associated face value is AUD $200 for the two ounce coin, $100 for the one ounce, $15 for the 1/10 ounce and $5 for the 1/25 ounce.

Specification for 2012 Australian Koala Gold Proof Coins

	2 oz	1 oz	1/10 oz	1/25 oz
Gold Content (Troy oz)	2	1	1/10	1/25
Face Value (AUD)	200	100	15	5
Fineness (% purity)	99.99	99.99	99.99	99.99
Minimum Gross Weight (g)	62.215	31.107	3.111	1.244
Maximum Diameter (mm)	41.10	27.30	16.60	14.60
Maximum Thickness (mm)	3.90	5.00	1.50	1.40
Mintage	250	2,000	5,000	15,000
Price (AUD)	$5,250.00	$2,990.00	$329.00	$145.00

Each coin is presented in a display case with a numbered certificate of authenticity indicating the maximum mintage of the strike. The coin, case and certificate are presented inside an illustrated shipper.

2012 Australian Koala Gold Proof Coins are available worldwide directly from the Perth Mint of Australia with the exception of the two ounce and one ounce coins for purchasers from the United States. These must be purchased from an authorized distributor.