Steeped in history, the Australian Sovereign has been produced in the former colony for 160 years, and in that time over 400 million of them have been struck to satiate the demand for gold. With Australia being so far from Britain and at the same time full of gold, it made sense to open a mint in the former to strike the metal into coin form, and hence the job fell to the young Sydney Mint to produce the famous Sovereign coin.

The design has changed little in all that time, and the only thing that differentiates this new release from its 160-year old ancestor is the proof finish and the replacing of the inscription ‘SYDNEY MINT’ with that of the new manufacturer, the Perth Mint.

Available to order now, the $675.00 AUD coin comes in some excellent packaging.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

The discovery of payable gold in the colony of New South Wales in 1851 lay behind the establishment of the Sydney branch of the Royal Mint, which opened on 14 May 1855. The Sydney Mint produced its first Type I sovereign, featuring a unique ‘colonial’ design, on 23 June.

There ensued an unbroken 76-year history of gold sovereign production in Australia. Over 400 million coins were created in Sydney, and at Royal Mint branches opened later in Melbourne and Perth. From 1871 the coins featured Imperial designs with the addition of ‘S’, ‘M’ or ‘P’ mintmarks respectfully, to identify their place of manufacture. The various combinations of these features and monarchs means that today’s collectors must find almost 200 different Australian sovereigns to complete a set.

Customising the original Sydney Mint Sovereign to read Perth Mint, this coin represents a modern adaptation of this important part of Australia’s history. Made with meticulous attention to detail, the 2015 coin is struck from traditional 91.67% pure gold (22-carat) in supreme proof quality.

DESIGN: The coin’s reverse portrays St Edward’s crown, a laurel wreath and the word AUSTRALIA, historic elements of Leonard Charles Wyon’s original Type I reverse. The modern tribute also includes the inscription PERTH MINT, SOVEREIGN and the traditional ‘P’ mintmark.

PACKAGING: The coin is housed in a prestigious wooden presentation case with superbly illustrated shipper and wrap, accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Perth Mints designer, Ing Ing Jong  penned this coin and it sells for $675.00 AUD ($61.36 less for non-Australians)

SPECIFICATION
DENOMINATION $25 AUD
COMPOSITION 0.9167 GOLD
WEIGHT 7.9881 g
SIZE 22.6 mm
FINISH PROOF
MINTAGE 1,500
ARTIST ING ING JONG
BOX / COA YES / YES (SERIALISED)