Largest gold coins in the world
Big, Bigger, Biggest - the largest gold coins in the world
There are gold coins, under whose weight every gold scale breaks down. For some, you'd probably need a scale for commercial vehicles. Three mints competed for the biggest gold coin in recent years. In the end, Australia won with a kangaroo weighing several tons.
A direct comparison of the largest gold coins:
Place | Name | Weight | Diameter | Value |
1. Place | Red Kangaroo | 1.000 kg | 80 cm | Approximately 40 million |
2. Place | Maple Leaf | 100 kg | 53 cm | Circa 4 million euros |
3. Place | Big Phil | 31,103 kg | 37 cm | Approximately 1.3 million euros |
Even villains sometimes go into raptures: "All my life I have loved its color, its shine, its divine weight," Goldfinger describes almost poetically his excessive love of gold, which famously led him astray. The James Bond film of the same name was released in 1965. Some 39 years later, "divine gravity" was to be completely redefined.
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Competition for the largest gold coin
In front of the Ferris wheel in the Vienna Prater, the Austrian Mint presented the "Big Phil" in 2004 - not only the largest Philharmonic coin, but also the largest gold coin in the world at the time. The "Big Phil" features a diameter of 37 centimeters and a proud weight of 31 kilograms. As with its smaller siblings, the obverse (value side) of the "Big Phil" is adorned with the famous organ in the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein as well as the face value of 100,000 euros. However, its current value based on the gold price is approximately 1.3 million euros. On the reverse, instruments of the Vienna Philharmonic find a truly golden stage. The "Big Phil" appeared on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the coveted Austrian bullion coin. What could be more natural than minting 15 copies in oversize format?
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It is said that the strong media attention that "Big Phil" has encountered has also spurred on the other leading mints for bullion coins. In 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint released a Maple Leaf weighing 100 kilograms with a face value of one million can-dollars. This meant that the Canadians temporarily held the world record for minting the largest gold coin. With 1 million Canadian dollars as the face value, the material value of circa 4 million euros is also significantly higher than the face value.
As is familiar from the Gold Map le Leaf, maple leaves also appear on the obverse of its XXL variant, while the reverse is reserved for the relief of Queen Elizabeth II, who incidentally can call one of the five minted Super Maple Leafs her own. However, the coin did not bring good fortune to another once proud owner. He went bankrupt and had to sell his 100-kilo coin at auction - at the Dorotheum auction house in Vienna, of all places, the home town of "Big Phil.
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Perhaps to make it clear once and for all who is the top dog with the largest production volume, Australia's Perth Minth followed suit with a gold coin of superlatives: In October 2011, it presented the "Red Kangaroo," the largest gold coin in the world to date.
It weighs exactly 1.012 tons and has a diameter of 80 centimeters. Although the competitor from Canada weighs only one tenth of the "Red Kangaroo," it is not much smaller at 53 centimeters. On the other hand, the Australian record holder has a lot going for it: the "Red Kangaroo" is twelve centimeters thick, while the Canadian coin is only three centimeters thick.
The motifs on the front and back correspond to the kangaroo coins in the usual sizes. The obverse features the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state of the Commonwealth of Australia. On the reverse, the red giant kangaroo may not be missing, after all, the largest living prey animal. The face value of the super coin is a modest one million Australian dollars. For that, anyone would be happy to buy it.
This is how much the world's largest gold coin is worth
The actual value of such a coin is difficult to estimate, because in addition to the gold value, there is likely to be a high collector's surcharge. However, since it is a unique specimen, the gold colossus will probably never be for sale. Purely from the amount of gold used, the material value is around 40 million euros.
The largest silver coin in the world - "Made in Germany" - The Karl Marx silver coin
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Big, bigger, the new world record silver coin in the world. This means that Germany is already a two-time world record holder.
The second largest silver coin in the world - "Made in Germany"
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After all, Germany also holds a world record in terms of XXL precious metal coins: Geiger Edelmetalle presented the world's largest silver coin at the end of 2015, weighing 1,750 ounces, produced by Leipziger Edelmetallverarbeitung (LEV) for the African nation of Ivory Coast.
There are only 15 pieces of this coin with a diameter of 65 centimeters. It is intended to draw attention to endangered animal species, which is why the obverse features an elephant and the French words "LE MONDE ANIMAL EN PERIL" (The animal world is in danger). The reverse features the Ivory Coast coat of arms and the face value of 1,000,000 francs CFA. A jumbo coin indeed. Perhaps the largest silver coin in the world is an alternative for you if the largest gold coin in the world is too expensive - with a material value of around 30,000 euros, it is definitely more affordable.