1990 Australian Silver Kookaburra 1 oz Bullion Coin

The 1990 issue

Where the annual story begins

The 1990 coin is the first object in the continuous standard one-ounce Kookaburra chronology. Its five-dollar denomination, .999 fineness and original reverse distinguish the opening specification from later issues.

The reverse establishes the series' central device: a dated kookaburra composition surrounded by the coin's identity and silver-content inscriptions. Here the bird perches on a tree stump, with foliage filling the field behind it.

The issue is recorded as sold out, but no numeric final total is published. The 300,000 figure is therefore shown as the original maximum rather than a final mintage.

Series position: Issue 1 of the 1990–2026 run
Portrait era: Elizabeth II · Raphael Maklouf
Issue record: Sold out · final total unavailable

1990 Australian Silver Kookaburra 1 oz bullion coin reverse — 1990 standard reverse

Design story

The first Kookaburra establishes the visual language

Stuart Devlin's reverse centers a kookaburra perched on a stump. The bird and vegetation occupy the inner field while the series name, one-ounce silver statement, fineness and date form the outer reading path.

1990 Australian Silver Kookaburra reverse detail: Bird and stump — **Bird and stump**A closer view of the inaugural bird-and-stump composition.

1990 Australian Silver Kookaburra reverse detail: Date and silver legend — **Date and silver legend**The outer inscription records 1990, one ounce and .999 silver.

1990 Australian Silver Kookaburra 1 oz bullion coin obverse

The obverse

An early portrait and the original five-dollar denomination

Raphael Maklouf's effigy of Queen Elizabeth II faces right. The surrounding inscription identifies the monarch and Australia, while the five-dollar denomination appears below. Maklouf is credited for this inaugural issue.

The reverse

A kookaburra on a tree stump

The dated reverse depicts the bird in profile on a cut stump with foliage behind it. Its composition becomes the reference point for the 2015 anniversary return, while the 1990 standard issue keeps its own place in the annual sequence.

Full specifications

At a glance

Available dimensions, artists and issue details for this annual coin are listed below.

Denomination: AUD $5
Silver content: 1 troy ounce
Fineness: .999
Metal: Silver
Diameter: 40.6 mm
Thickness: 2.98 mm
Finish: Brilliant Uncirculated (BU)
Authentication: Not documented in the listed item-level sources
Legal-tender country: Australia
Mint: The Perth Mint
Obverse portrait: Raphael Maklouf effigy of Queen Elizabeth II
Obverse artist: Raphael Maklouf
Reverse designer: Stuart Devlin

Mintage & issue

Final unavailable

Sold out

The official record identifies this issue as sold out but provides no numeric final declared total. The maximum is not presented as the final mintage.

Maximum mintage: 300,000
Issue status: Sold out
Source date: 2026-08-12

This year in the series

See the design in sequence

Compare this coin with the annual designs immediately around it.

1990Kookaburra perched on a tree stumpCurrent coin

1991 Australian Silver Kookaburra 1 oz bullion coin reverse

1991Kookaburra perched on a branch and looking into a tree hollowOpen annual reference

1992 Australian Silver Kookaburra 1 oz bullion coin reverse

1992Kookaburra perched on a tree branchOpen annual reference

Sources

References for this annual coin

The references below cover the coin's specifications, design, mintage and annual context.

This catalog excludes proof, high-relief, gilded, colorized, privy-mark, graded, 2 oz, 10 oz and kilogram products unless they are mentioned only as related variants.

Image credit

Obverse and reverse images: APMEX · 1990 standard 1 oz BU coin.