The 1883 Proof Sovereign and 1883 Proof Half Sovereign shown above were struck as Coins of Record at the Sydney Mint. The pair is believed unique. No other 1883 proofs have been sighted. 

To understand the motivations of the Sydney, Melbourne and Perth Mints in producing Coins of Record. And to know the numbers struck, is to recognise the value and outstanding qualities of the 1883 Sydney Proofs.

The Perth Mint struck Coins of Record in their inaugural year, 1899. Again in 1901, Australia's Federation year. And lastly in 1931, the year that Australia struck its last gold sovereign, the nation moving off the gold standard in 1932. 

The Perth Mint was a gold sovereign producer for thirty-three years (1899 - 1931) and produced Coins of Record in only three of them. For collectors, the pool of representative examples is seven. The sale of the 1899 Proof Half Sovereign to the Perth Mint in 2026 now sees that collector pool reduced to six. And only one pair is achievable for a collector, the 1901 Proof Sovereign and Half Sovereign. The Perth Mint Coins of Record are exclusive, highly sought-after and command high dollars. 

British collector John G. Murdoch received examples of the 1899 Proof Sovereign and 1901 Proof Sovereign and 1901 Proof Half Sovereign, his influence extending beyond the Sydney and Melbourne Mints to the newly established Perth Mint. The 1931 Proof Sovereign was struck to order, a gift for the Director of Consolidated Goldfields, John Agnew circa 1931.

The Melbourne Mint was relatively prolific in the production of proof coins, primarily due to the influence of British collector, John G. Murdoch. The mint enjoyed a commercial relationship with Murdoch and by 1884, the mint was supplying (selling) him proofs. From 1888 until 1901, the end of the Veiled Head era, Murdoch received Melbourne Mint proofs of each year. And while the mintages remained minuscule, it is the regularity of the issues that is the defining difference between Melbourne Mint Coins of Record and those of the Perth and Sydney Mints. Proof coin production at the Melbourne Mint fell away in 1902, due to Murdoch's passing. 

The Melbourne Mint was a gold coin producer for sixty years (1872 - 1931) and struck Coins of Record in twenty-five of them, primarily in the fifteen years of the Jubilee and Veiled Head era. For collectors, the pool of representative examples of Melbourne Mint Coins of Record is in the vicinity of forty proof sovereigns and thirty proof half sovereigns. Still extremely modest, but this discussion is all about relativities. 

The Sydney Mint had no control over its proof strikings for the first sixteen years of its opening. Australia's Coins of Record featuring the Sydney Mint design were struck at the Royal Mint London in 1853, 1855, 1856, 1857, 1866 and 1870. The proximity to already established collector markets in the U.K. and Europe meant that the Sydney Mint proofs were traded commercially soon after they were struck.

The Sydney Mint took control of its proof issues in 1871.

The Sydney Mint produced a St George Proof Sovereign and a Shield Proof Sovereign in 1871. And a Proof Half Sovereign. It was the first year of the Young Head era and (proudly) the very first year that proofs were struck in Australia. No other examples are known. The 1871 Shield Proof Sovereign was offered at a London auction in 1888 and has never been sighted since, suggesting that it may have been acquired by an institution. The 1871 St George Proof Sovereign and 1871 Proof Half Sovereign were also first sighted at the same London auction in 1888, and are now held in a long-term holding in Canberra.  

After an eight-year hiatus, the Sydney Mint struck proofs in 1880, no doubt for the 1880 Melbourne International Exhibition. Proofs were again struck in 1883: a shield design proof sovereign and matching proof half sovereign. Official records show that the Sydney Mint received the dies for the 1857 sovereign in 1883. Already possessing the dies for the '1883' strike, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that the mint master decided to test both the '83 and the '57 dies by producing proofs.  (The similarity in the styles, the richness and intensity of the two proofs, is unmistakable.)  

The Sydney Mint's approach to production of Coins of Record was modest in numbers and sparse in terms of the years in which they were struck: four years out of seventeen in the Young Head era (one of which was struck to a specimen finish). Two years in the Jubilee era, one in the Veiled Head. One in Edward VII and five in the George V era, all of which were struck to a specimen finish. A total of thirteen years. 

The name 'Murdoch' is attached to a small number of Sydney Mint proofs. The name 'Dangar' appears more frequently. A New South Wales politician he must have had a strong relationship with the Sydney Mint, holding coins such as the 1887 four-coin set (one of two produced) and 1902 four-coin set (the only known set). These are mightily important coin issues that could only have been acquired by a person of influence or connection.

The name Sir William Dixson is also raised in correspondence from Barrie Winsor, in which he suggests that the Specimen 1920 Sovereign may have been struck at Dixson's request, in celebration of his 50th birthday on 18th April 1920. Perhaps he also requested the strikings in 1922 and 1923. We certainly know he was involved in the closing ceremony at the Sydney Mint in 1926 where he received two specimen 1926 sovereigns that were bequeathed to the State Library of New South Wales.

From 1871 when the Sydney Mint took control over the striking of its proofs until it closed in 1926, the mint struck Coins of Record in only thirteen out of a possible fifty-six years. Of those thirteen years, the 1871 proofs are believed unique, so too 1883. Of the specimen strikes, the 1879 is believed unique as is the 1920 and 1923. Those coins aside, most years are represented by just two examples. A simple maths calculation reveals just how few Sydney proofs are available to collectors.

The table below indicates the availability to collectors of Sydney Mint Coins of Record (1853 - 1926).