1859 Sydney Mint Sovereign

And it is the quality of this 1859 Sydney Mint Sovereign that makes it a classic rarity. We last sighted a superb quality 1859 Sovereign at an Australian auction seven years ago, at the sale of the famous Quartermaster Gold Coin Collection in June 2009.

Amazingly rare and yet still very affordable. The coin is priced at $ 14,500.

This 1859 Sydney Mint Sovereign in our view can - and will – over time command a price level nudging the $ 20,000 level.

Australia’s gold coin history began in 1855 with the opening of the nation’s first mint in Sydney. The mint issued its first sovereign on 23 June 1855 featuring the portrait of Queen Victoria on the obverse and a uniquely Australian design on the reverse. The Sydney Mint design continued until 1870.

In 1871 Australia’s gold coinage took on the more traditional design of St George and the Dragon.