Australia unveils world's largest gold coin

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Australia has unveiled the world's largest gold coin, weighing a massive 1,000 kg to mark the visit of Queen Elizabeth II.

The Perth Mint produced it in time for the Queen's visit to the city in Western Australia for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting.

The coin has a kangaroo on one side and the Queen's profile on the other. It is nearly 80cm in diameter and 12cm thick.

Perth Mint CEO Ed Harbuz said making it was 'an incredible challenge, one which few other mints would even consider'.

The Australian coin is five times heavier than the world's previous largest gold coin, made by the Royal Canadian Mint, the BBC reported.

"We thought well, we'd better make it so much bigger that it'll stay the biggest coin in the world for a long time," Harbuz said.

Australia's coin is 99.99 per cent pure and has a nominal value of 1,000,000 Australian dollars (USD 1,061,000). The gold itself is worth more than 50 million Australian dollars.