Don Mackay-Coghill — who as chief executive of the Perth Mint directed the 1987 introduction of the Australian Nugget gold bullion coin — has died.

Mr. Mackay-Coghill served as the first chief executive officer of the Mint’s corporate identity under the Gold Corp. banner from 1986 to 2003 and as board chairman from 2015 to 2018.

Mr. Mackay-Coghill’s legacy in the gold industry began in his native South Africa,  including as CEO of Intergold, overseeing the introduction in 1967 of the .917 fine gold Krugerrand into the world’s bullion market.

During his tenure with Gold Corp., he expanded Gold Corp’s to incorporate silver and platinum bullion and collector issues.

A noted athlete as a cricketer, Mr. Mackay-Coghill’s sports career included a stint as captain of the leading provincial team Transvaal,.

He played in 73 first-class matches between 1962 and 1974.

From July 1, 2003, until June 30, 2009, Mr. Mackay-Coghill was also chairman of AGR Matthey, a joint venture between Gold Corp., Johnson Matthey Australia and Newmont and was a director of the World Gold Council based in London.

During his tenure as chief executive of Gold Corp., he also served  as joint chief executive of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Coin Program, planning and managing the Sydney program, a benchmark for all subsequent Olympic coin programs.

In recognition of his achievements, Mr. Mackay-Coghill received the South African Marketing Award of the Year in 1978; the Vreneli-Preis Award for his contribution to Numismatics in 2001; the Australian Institute of Export’s Australian Export Hero Award in 2007; and the Juan Antonio Samaranch Medal for his contribution to Olympic coin collecting in 2012.

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