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New | World's largest gold coin worth more than HK$300 million goes on display in Hong Kong

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The 2012 Australian Kangaroo One Tonne Gold Coin is displayed in Hang Seng Bank's Headquarter in Central until Saturday. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

The world’s largest gold coin, on its first visit outside Australia, was unveiled on Thursday at the Hang Seng Bank headquarters in Central as part of a showcase tour for the historic Perth Mint.

The enormous coin weighs 1,012 kilograms and is made from 99.99 per cent pure gold. It is 31 inches wide, more than 4.7 inches thick, and took some 18 months to manufacture.

The coin carries the image of Queen Elizabeth II, the head of state, on one side and a leaping kangaroo on the other.

The 2012 Australian Kangaroo One Tonne Gold Coin is worth HK$305 million, far more than the AU$1 million (HK$6.9 million) legal tender.

Since the coin was released, its worth has dropped to HK$305 million from HK$431.66 million, as the value of gold has tumbled.

Unveiling the golden disc, Andrew Fung Hau-chung, head of global banking and markets at Hang Seng Bank, said it was with luck that Perth Mint, a long-term customer of the bank, chose Hong Kong as a “strategically important” first visit.

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