1930 Proof Sovereign Melbourne Mint

The portrait of King George V appeared on Australian sovereigns from 1911 and continued uninterrupted until 1931. During that time two head types were used, referred to as the standard head type (1911 to 1928) and the small head type (1929 to 1931).

Dated 1930, this Proof Sovereign depicts the portrait of George V with a small head type. Three examples are believed privately held.

Irrespective of the type, standard or small, all George V Proof Sovereigns are rare. And the reasons for their scarcity are detailed below.

Although George V’s portrait appeared on our gold circulating coinage for 21 years, proofs are known to have been struck in only seven of them, one of which, the 1914 has never been sighted.

Presentation strikings are noted for both 1922 and 1923; however the coins were struck to specimen (and not proof) quality.

Our experiences attest to the scarcity of George V proofs. In a career that spans forty-plus years, we have handled only the 1926 George V Proof Sovereign. (The 1922 Sovereign that we sold in 2005 was, as stated above, a specimen striking.)

And we have handled two years of the large head types, 1930 Proof Sovereign Melbourne Mint (this coin) and one each of the Perth and Melbourne Mint issues of the 1931 Proof Sovereign.

We remind our readers of the rule … from a purely financial perspective; the most potent investment coins are those that are quite obviously rare in themselves.

BUT (and this is the clincher) they belong to a sector of the market that is so limited in numbers that it doesn’t give the buyer easy alternatives. It is the notion that if you pass on this coin, you will more than likely never be given the opportunity of securing another date out of the same era. We have often referred to this type of coin as being the ‘trump card’.

This 1930 Proof Sovereign is a ‘trump card’. And from a quality perspective it is simply brilliant. Impeccable surfaces and a deeply etched design.