Perth Mint Commemorates 2023 Ningaloo Reef Eclipse on New Coin

The coin celebrates the total solar eclipse over the town of Exmouth and the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef on Western Australia’s northwest coast during the morning of April 20, 2023.

An awe-inspiring event, a total solar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Moon, and Earth form a straight line. When all three bodies are in perfect alignment, an eerie twilight envelops anyone directly under the shadow of the Moon, also known as the line of ‘totality’.

The coin is struck by The Perth Mint from 2oz of 99.99% pure silver and issued as legal tender under the Australian Currency Act 1965.

The Perth Mint will release no more than 3,000 of the Ningaloo Eclipse 2023 2oz Silver Antiqued Colored Coin.

Ningaloo Eclipse Coin Design

The coin’s reverse portrays colored corals of the Ningaloo Reef and a whale shark, the world’s largest fish, beneath the darkened sky of the 2023 Ningaloo Total Solar Eclipse. The design also includes The Perth Mint’s ‘P’ mintmark.

Marking this unique moment in time, the coin features the edge inscription ‘NINGALOO ECLIPSE • 20 APRIL 2023 • 11:27 AM’. The obverse portrays The Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Obverse, featuring the Jody Clark effigy supplemented with the dates of her reign, as well as the coin’s weight, purity, monetary denomination, and 2023 year-date.

This coin has been individually ‘antiqued’ to give it a unique finish conveying the surface abrasions of an ancient artifact. As a result of this treatment, the appearance of each coin in the mintage may vary.

Presentation

The coin is presented in a case, illustrated shipper, and is accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. All the packaging components contain FSC-certified paper products and other recycled materials.

Designers

Designer and engraver Jody Clark joined the Royal Mint UK in 2012. His portrait of Queen Elizabeth II became the fifth official portrait in 2015 (View Designer’s Profile).

Coin Specifications