Perth Mint

The Perth Mint is the only one of three nineteenth century branches of Britain’s Royal Mint established in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne being the other two) that continues in its original use.

The founding of the Perth branch of Britain’s Royal Mint took place in 1899 at the height of Western Australia’s first gold boom. At that time, gold sovereigns and half sovereigns were used throughout the British Empire as everyday currency and it was the Royal Mint’s responsibility to supply them. Rather than ship gold to London and then distribute coin back to Britain’s colonies, the Royal Mint built a number of branches in places where gold was found throughout the Empire. The Perth Mint was one of these – built to refine gold mined in Western Australia and turn it into sovereigns.

When sovereigns were withdrawn from circulation in 1931, the Mint continued to refine gold and used its skills in the production of other coins. It remained under British ownership until 1970 when control passed to the Western Australian Government, who owns it to this day.