Perth Mint Issues 2009 Young Collectors Coin Set Dedicated To Space

July 14, 2009: With 2009 being the International Year of Astronomy, as well as being the year of the 40th anniversary of the first manned moon landing, it seems fitting that the Perth Mint should release their Space themed one dollar collection set at this time. With a focus squarely on the next generation of numismatists, and making an ideal gift for young collectors, the one dollar space collection is much more than just a coin set.


Australia 2009 $1 Young Collectors Space BU Collection

After the success of the 2008 $1 Young Collectors Wildlife Collection, which saw a set of 12 coins issued each featuring a different animal from Australian wildlife, it was assured that the Perth Mint were on to something in this unique way of attracting young people to the wonderful world of coin collecting. Providing a universal theme to the collections meant that with one purchase he or she would have a complete set of coins ready to display, rather than having to build up over time with the staggered issue known in commemorative series'. Keeping in mind the interests of those youngsters, as well as many of us older collectors, the Perth Mint have outdone themselves with this next in the collection series, dedicated to the exploration and research of that mostly undiscovered country, Space.



The collection contains 9 legal tender one dollar Australian coins, each featuring a different space-themed image and focused on the following topics:

Astronomers – with a design depicting Galileo Galilei, who built a telescope 400 years ago and made many remarkable discoveries about the Solar System.

Craters - with a design depicting Daedalus, a 93 kilometres wide crater on the Moon.

Rockets - with a design depicting a Saturn V rocket, the biggest, most powerful rocket put to regular use.

Moons - with a design depicting an astronaut on the surface of the Moon, Earth’s only natural satellite.

Observatories - with a design depicting Australia’s famous radio telescope at Parkes in New South Wales.

Shuttles - with a design depicting a Space Shuttle, the world’s first re-useable spacecraft.

Space Telescopes - with a design depicting the Hubble Space Telescope, which orbits Earth at a height of nearly 600 kilometres.

Rovers - with a design depicting remote-controlled exploration vehicles used to explore Mars.

Space Probes - with a design depicting the Pioneer probe that is carrying information about the human race into deep space.

Supplied in a stunning, full-colour, space-themed presentation pack the coins alone are excellent value-for-money given the Official Issue Price of just US$64 - only just over US$7 per coin! Within the pack, decorated with stars and planets, the sun and man-made satellites and spacecraft, each coin is accompanied by information about it's particular theme. The pack is a 4-fold unit which when opened fully beautifully displays not only the coins within but the stunning work that has gone into creating the packaging. Within the pack you will also find an astonishing amount of added "extras" as listed below.

The Album – the perfect setting for the nine BU $1 coins, the superbly illustrated album features dazzling imagery of the Solar System, Galaxies and the Universe, and when fully open, measures nearly a metre in width!

The Information Book – written with the help of experts at the Perth Observatory, this beautifully illustrated book provides a great introduction to the planets in our Solar System, and also includes details on the coins.

The Activity Book – comprises a variety of easy-to-complete word and picture puzzles, as well as a large number of full-colour Space stickers!

The Asteroids DVD – a fascinating National Geographic presentation, this 60-minute DVD examines the wonder of asteroids and comets.(The DVD is encoded Region 4 PAL and can be played in any multi-region DVD player)

The Posters – depicting the Space Shuttle and Horsehead Nebula stellar dust cloud respectively, two 400mm x 690mm glossy posters are also included!


For adult collectors looking to interest their kids or grandkids in their own beloved pastime of collecting, this collection makes the perfect gift. For collectors of Australian $1 types this makes for a must-have addition to their collection. For those simply interested in space this is a unique way of learning more about the mysterious cosmos and man's attempts to study it. The Australia 2009 $1 Young Collectors Space Collection is now available to order at ECI.