The Nutcracker ballet has come to be associated with Christmas, so it’s no wonder that the Perth Mint marks the holiday in 2024 with a 2-ounce silver Nutcracker coin.

The 2024 antiqued 2-ounce .9999 fine silver $2 coin from Australia features a colorful Christmas fairy-tale design and a gold-plated nutcracker insert.

Nutcracker backstory

The Nutcracker is an enchanting Christmas Eve fairy-tale about a young girl’s love for a wooden nutcracker doll. Staying up late to spend more time with her favorite gift, she witnesses a battle between an army of toy figures and a gang of mice, during which she bravely saves the Nutcracker from the wicked Mouse King. Adapted by Pyotr Tchaikovsky for the ballet stage, it is performed worldwide around Christmas.

Design, specifications

Designer Jennifer McKenna created the reverse design, which portrays leading characters from the storyline, including the Nutcracker, his foe the Mouse King, and a young girl among Christmas gifts. Also included are fairies, Christmas trees, an owl, golden-colored stars, and a ‘P125’ Mint privy mark signifying the Perth Mint’s 125th anniversary.

In the coin’s center is a .999 fine gold-plated representation of a nutcracker figurine, a traditional symbol of good luck also said to frighten away evil spirits.

The obverse bears the Dan Thorne effigy of King Charles III, the coin’s denomination and a decorative pattern of stars encircling the nutcracker insert.

The coin weighs 62.213 grams and measures 45.6 millimeters in diameter. It has a mintage limit of 2,500 pieces and retails for $289 Australian at press time Oct. 17.

To order, or learn more, visit the Perth Mint website, www.perthmint.com.

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