1 Dollar - Elizabeth II 3rd Portrait - Australian Kookaburra

The Australian Kookaburra bullion series, launched in 1990, was Perth Mint's direct answer to the American Silver Eagle and Canadian Maple Leaf — a deliberate push to capture international bullion market share at a moment when sovereign-backed silver rounds were gaining traction among institutional buyers. Unlike the Eagle, Perth committed to an annually changing reverse design, a marketing decision that simultaneously created a collector audience alongside the bullion one. The 1996 and 1997 issues share the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy introduced that year, replacing Raphael Maklouf's portrait across the entire Commonwealth coinage program.