BULLION BARS AND COINS
Released today, the latest silver bullion coin from The Perth Mint featuring dangerous Australian animals portrays a funnel-web spider.
At least 40 different species of funnel-web spiders live in south-eastern Australia. The most notorious is the Sydney Funnel-Web, whose venom is highly toxic to humans.
Funnel webs are medium to large spiders with a body reaching up to 5 cm in length. For anyone with arachnophobia they are one of the most macabre in appearance, ranging from black to brown with a glossy, hairless carapace covering the front part of the body.
The aggressive Sydney Funnel Web is regarded as one of Australia’s top-ten deadliest creatures. Its fangs are said to be longer than a brown snake’s and so powerful they can pierce toenails!
Not surprisingly, a bite is agonizing. The male’s venom is about five-times more painful than the female’s, making it the most likely candidate for at least 13 human deaths prior to the introduction of antivenom in 1981.
2015 Australian Funnel-Web Spider 1oz Silver Bullion Coin
This new bullion release portrays a large funnel-web spider. Struck from 1oz of 99.9% pure silver and issued as Australian legal tender, it has a mintage of 1,000,000 coins worldwide.
The 2015 Australian Funnel-Web Spider comes in protective tubes containing 25 coins, and in monster boxes of 20 tubes containing 500 coins.
Tubes cost $5.00 over metal per coin, with the price decreasing to $3.95 over metal for 500 coins.
The new coins are available from The Perth Mint to retail customers in Australia only. Please visit www.perthmintbullion.com (registration required) or visit/call our bullion desk on 1300 201112.
The coins are available to customers worldwide from leading bullion coin dealers.