1886 Young Head Shield Sovereign Melbourne Mint, the key coin of the Queen Victoria Young Head Sovereign Series.

1886 Young Head Shield Sovereign Obverse by William Wyon.
Notice the kiss-curl in front of the ear!

1886 Young Head Shield Sovereign Reverse by Jean Baptiste Merlen. Beautifully struck and proof-like fields.

History confirms the extreme rarity of the Melbourne Mint's 1886 Young Head Shield Sovereign (1886M).

Noble Numismatics is Australia’s largest Auction House holding three auctions annually each comprised of about 3000 lots.

Their auctions provide a plethora of invaluable information on prices realised and importantly, the frequency of sightings ... how often a coin can realistically be expected to appear on the market.

We note that:

• Only one Uncirculated 1886M Young Head Shield Sovereign has been offered at Nobles in the last eleven years! The coin sold in July 2011 for $38,000. The pre-auction estimate was $35,000. Notice the price and the infrequency!
• Confirming the rarity of the coin across all quality levels, on average just one 1886M Young Head Shield Sovereign is offered at Nobles annually. And the quality generally ranges from Good Very Fine to Extremely Fine, so circulated. Again we comment on the frequency and the grade.

Three famous Australian gold sovereign collections have been auctioned over the past fifty years and each contained an 1886M Shield Sovereign. The quality is noted as follows:

• The revered Ross and Carol Pratley Collection sold by Spink Auctions (Australia) in March 1989 held an example in About Uncirculated.
• The famous Sharpes Pixley Collection auctioned by Spink Auctions (Australia) in November 1989 held an example in Extremely Fine.
• The inimitable Quartermaster collection, put together by Barrie Winsor for collector Tom Hadley and auctioned in 2009 held an example, also in About Uncirculated.