The Perth Mint is the oldest operating mint in Australia and is the official bullion mint of Australia.
The Perth Mint was one of the last three colonial mints established by the Royal Mint in London. It was established in June of 1899 and was built in order to accommodate the massive amounts of gold being discovered.
Because there was very little money in Australia at the time, it was difficult for miners to exchange their gold for more tangible goods. The newly established mint went a long way toward alleviating that problem.
During the period of 1899 to 1931, the Perth Mint struck over 106 million gold sovereigns and well over 700,000 half sovereigns for use as currency throughout Australia and the rest of the world. After Britain abandoned the gold standard in 1931, the Perth Mint discontinued the production of gold sovereigns, instead turning their attention to the making of exceptionally fine gold bars.
Today, the Perth Mint has established itself as one of the premier mints in the world. It continues to produce the majority of official currency for Australia, as well as gold and silver bullion, and collectible series coins.