1882 Sydney Mint Young Head Shield Half Sovereign

Note the superb detail in the hair, perfection in the edges and the satin fields.

This Gem Uncirculated 1882 Half Sovereign struck at the Sydney Mint is the finest known.

If more accolades are required, then we can only add that it is superior to even the Quartermaster (QM) example.

The Quartermaster Collection is viewed as the industry yardstick. Put together by gold coin specialist Barrie Winsor over a twenty-year time frame, the Quartermaster coins set the bar very high and have become the standard by which others can - and will - be judged.

We offer two sound reasons why this coin should come under your consideration.

1. Reason number one is that the 1882 Sydney Mint Half Sovereign is a stand-alone rarity. A classic numismatic investment piece.

Half sovereign production at the Sydney mint in 1882 was meagre. Only 52,000 half sovereigns were produced.

And that’s a clear explanation as to why it is hardly ever seen out in the marketplace, in any quality.

It is noted that one year later, in 1883, the Sydney Mint issued 220,000 half sovereigns.

And this coin is superb for quality. At Gem Uncirculated, you will not find finer.

The combination of quality and rarity in one of the most popular collecting series, gold half sovereigns, makes it a classic numismatic investment.

A superb execution of the Shield half sovereign design.

2. Reason number 2 is that the 1882 Sydney Mint Half Sovereign is an ideal inclusion in a portrait set.

A portrait set is a pathway chosen by a large number of half sovereign collectors. And we answer below, "what is a portrait set?".

The Young Head portrait of Queen Victoria appeared on Australia’s half sovereigns between 1871 and 1887. The Sydney Mint was in operation throughout this era, the Melbourne Mint coming on board in 1872.

A complete Young Head Half Sovereign collection is comprised of eighteen coins and that’s overwhelming for even the most financial of collectors. And potentially frustrating given the time that it would take to complete.

The trend is therefore to acquire one representative example from the Young Head design.

And what better pick than a key date. In the finest quality available. This Gem Uncirculated 1882 Sydney Mint Half Sovereign.

What is a Portrait Set?

The Australian Half Sovereign series ran from 1855 to 1918 and during this time seven different portraits were used, five of Queen Victoria, one of Edward VII and one of George V.

1.    Queen Victoria Sydney Mint Type 1 (1855 – 1856)
2.    Queen Victoria Sydney Mint Type 2 (1857 – 1870)
3.    Queen Victoria Young Head (1871 – 1887)
4.    Queen Victoria Jubilee (1887 – 1893)
5.    Queen Victoria Veiled Head (1893 – 1901)
6.    King Edward VII (1902 – 1910)
7.    King George V Large Head (1911 – 1918)

That’s why so many collectors take the short cut of completing a portrait set.

The sense of completeness is there. And the financial burden is substantially reduced.