Renowned for innovative coin manufacturing, The Perth Mint has broken the mould once again with the world’s first ‘orbital’ coin.

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of Sputnik, the reverse of the new coin portrays the famous satellite, which on 4 October 1957 became the first man-made object to leave Earth’s atmosphere.

The coloured illustration of Sputnik, however, is no ordinary, static image. As a result of the coin’s unique construction, it literally revolves around a representation of the world.

Struck by The Perth Mint from 1oz of 99.9% pure silver in proof quality with a brass core, the coin is coated with a transparent wear-resistant finish, instead of being housed in a capsule. This allows collectors to manually activate the coin’s ‘revolutionary’ design, without contaminating its proof quality.

Issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of the Cook Islands, the coin’s obverse depicts the Raphael Maklouf effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the monetary denomination, which surround another coloured image of the Earth.

The Sputnik ‘orbital’ coin is subject to a limited mintage of just 25,000 worldwide, a conservative figure for a release of such extraordinary originality. Each coin is housed in an elliptical-shaped presentation case and illustrated shipper, accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

With four more ‘orbital’ designs scheduled for future issue, each celebrating an historic milestone in man’s exploration of the cosmos, Sputnik is the essential ‘first’ release from The Perth Mint’s exciting new Orbit & Beyond Series.