The Perth Mint has taken home the gold in half of the major categories at the 2025 Mint Directors Conference.
The bi-annual coin awards, which took place in Cape Town last month, saw coin creators battle it out for recognition across six different accolades.
Amid stiff competition, the Mint came first in the Best Collectible Gold Coin, Best Packaging and Best Sustainability categories, prevailing over leading mints in three out of the six brackets.
The Perth Mint’s winning entries included its 2024 Jewelled Turtle 10oz Gold Proof Coin, which took out Best Collectible Gold Coin.
The limited-edition piece is part of the mint’s high-end Jewelled series, featuring an 18-carat gold turtle adorned with hand-set pink and white diamonds and emerald eyes.
The Perth Mint’s award-winning coins. Photos: Perth Mint
Only eight coins were produced in this years’ series, priced at over $285,000 each.
In the Best Packaging category, the Mint took home the gold for its creative homage to SpongeBob SquarePants.
Celebrating the television show’s 25th anniversary, the mint's SpongeBob coin is housed in a detailed replica of his pineapple home, complete with a themed box and customised sleeve.
The Mint’s third win, recognising the Best Sustainability Initiative, acknowledged its move to eliminate plastic from packaging products.
Perth Mint chief executive Paul Graham said the awards reflected the Mint’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
“We continually strive for quality and innovation in everything we do, so to see this recognition from our peers in the minting industry is very important to us,” Mr Graham said.
“We put considerable effort into the design and practicality of our coin packaging to match and complement the quality of the coins and the packaging award is a credit to our product development team.
“The all-paper packaging for two of our key releases in 2024 was the result of a long-term focus on reducing our environmental impact by shifting away from the use of plastic wherever practical without compromising on quality and durability.”
The Mint Directors Conference is marketed as the world’s largest forum of mint leaders and technical experts.
In addition to Perth Mint’s success, the Royal Canadian Mint won two awards for its Commemorative Silver and Collaborative Innovation projects.
Back in 2023, the Royal Australian Mint took home a prize for its Honey Bee coloured circulating coin.
