Video: Australian Opal Coin Series - The Koala

Full details of the Australian Opal Series release schedule.

Renowned for its inventive approach to numismatic products, our design team has come up with another wonderfully innovative coin idea.

The Australian Opal Series celebrates the nocturnal nature of many of Australia's favourite native animals. As the title suggests, the concept involves pure Australian Opal, a precious gemstone famed for its iridescent play of rainbow colours.

Each of the eight coins in the series is made from 1oz of 99.9% pure silver. Struck elements portray Australian flora and a representation of the Moon in one of its eight phases.

But the highlight of each new coin is its mesmerizing central design featuring an iconic Australian animal detailed in genuine opal, contrasted by the dark shadow of night.

The first release portrays a koala, an arboreal marsupial that becomes more active after sunset. The animal's opal image glows from within an inky blackness.

This stunning effect is achieved with precisely cut slices of Australian Opal, inset in the middle of the silver coin. They're covered in glass selectively printed with black dye to create a window through which a play of colour is revealed in the form of Aleysha Howarth's intricate koala design.

Our coin design team came up with another bright idea for the presentation packaging. Whenever the lid of the display case is opened, a small light automatically illuminates the coin within -- reflective of the Moon shining down on a nocturnal Australian animal!