1852 Adelaide Pound

Owning an 1852 Adelaide Pound is for many Australians a lifetime’s ambition. It is the nation’s very first gold coin, struck at the Government Assay Office Adelaide and is extremely rare and highly valued. And this Adelaide Pound is impressive. It is a coin that you would be proud to show your family and friends.

Over and above the rigours of circulation, we have certain protocols that we invoke when it comes to selecting Adelaide Pounds struck using the second die.

We closely scrutinise the surfaces and edges. Gold is a soft metal and the majority of circulated gold coins show obvious blemishes: defects that are clearly visible to the naked eye and that we reject.

We also scrutinise the striking. History records that the minting of the Adelaide Pound was plagued with problems, issues that ultimately impacted on the strength of the striking.

The majority of Adelaide Pounds struck with the second die show extreme weakness in the denticles and the area of the legend ‘Assay Office’, to the point that the denticles and the legend are almost non-existent. Coins exhibiting these traits are rated very poorly by us.

So while our protocols are tough they ultimately deliver a coin that is the exception to those most frequently seen.

A coin such as this piece.

• The edges provide an almost ‘picture-frame’ effect to this coin which is quite extraordinary and seldom seen.
• There is strength in the legend in the ASSAY area. Again seldom seen.
• The cross on the top of the crown, the fleur-de-lis and the lower band of the crown have undergone a hint of circulation.
• The coin has been brilliantly preserved with minimal marks in the field.

The outstanding quality attributes of this piece and the unique historical status of the Adelaide Pound ensure that this coin will always be sought after.