Unique Sovereign, struck as a Coin of Record at the Sydney Mint to a specimen finish. No other examples are known.
The Sydney Mint Coins of Record are the crown jewels of coinage, adding glamour and exceptionality to any collection. You don't buy a piece of proof gold and then put it aside. You savour the moment and you take in its glory, and you show it around to family and friends for they are exclusive and they are beautiful. And they are part of a tradition of proof coining that goes back centuries.
A simple time-line of production at the Sydney Mint shows that its first circulating gold sovereign was struck in 1855, its first Coin of Record sixteen years later in 1871 when the mint's skills were up to the task. The last circulating sovereign and last Coin of Record was produced st the Sydney Mint in 1926. Of those seventy-two years (1855 - 1926), the mint struck circulating currency in every one but struck Coins of Record in only thirteen of them.
And of those thirteen years, five can boast unique pieces, 1871, 1879, 1883, 1920 and 1923, the importance of the latter two, in particular is reflected in their provenance. Both pieces had been held by Robert Jaggard, Paul Terry and Tom Hadley, the three most advanced Australian gold coin collectors of the modern era.
This 1923 Sovereign was struck as a Coin of Record at the Sydney Mint. The coin is unique.
To understand the motivations of the Sydney Mint in producing Coins of Record. And to know the numbers struck, is to recognise the value and outstanding qualities of this 1923 Sovereign.
The Sydney Mint began operations in 1855, issuing circulating gold sovereigns and half sovereigns. The mint did not have the machinery or the skills to strike Coins of Record, that responsibility taken on by the Royal Mint in London.
The Sydney Mint took control of its proof issues in 1871. Its approach to production of Coins of Record was conservative.
The mintages were tiny. And the years in which they were struck were spread thinly: only four years out of seventeen in the Young Head era (1871 to 1887). Two years in the Jubilee era (1887 to 1893), one in the Veiled Head era (1893 to 1901). One in Edward VII and five in the George V era.
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, five can boast unique pieces, 1871, 1879, 1883, 1920 and 1923.
This 1923 Sydney Specimen Sovereign is one of the truly 'great' coins of Australian numismatics.
The Quartermaster Collection was owned by Queensland collector, Tom Hadley. He joined forces with rare coin dealer Barrie Winsor to form what is acknowledged as the most comprehensive collection of Australian gold coins ever formed. The program of acquisition took three decades, each coin hand selected to acquire the finest quality. Opportunities to upgrade, and to improve upon the quality, were taken up during this duration to achieve the ultimate grade, available at the time.
The Collection became a benchmark for Australian gold coins. And is still to this day the yardstick by which other coins are judged. Exhibited at the Royal Australian Mint Canberra in 2005 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Sydney Mint's opening, it was eventually sold at auction by Monetarium Sydney in June 2009.
This 1923 Sydney Specimen Sovereign became available in 1992 and was selected to become part of the Quartermaster Collection. The coin was especially struck as a Coin of Record at the Sydney Mint.
Winsor knew this sovereign represented the ultimate quality. During the George V era, Coins of Record from the Sydney Mint were struck to a specimen finish. And this coin is indeed an immaculate coin, graded FDC, with a superb strike.
Winsor also knew he had secured the ultimate rarity when he acquired this sovereign for it was believed unique. To this day, its unique status holds. There are no other known examples.
The Sydney Mint Coins of Record are a 'gift' to today's collectors. They are the crown jewels of coinage, adding glamour and exceptionality to any collection.
The Sydney Mint began striking Coins of Record of its circulating currency in 1871. for the next fifty-six years, the mint operated continuously churning out currency for the Government but struck Coins of Record in only thirteen of them.
Of those thirteen years, five can boast unique pieces, 1871, 1879, 1883, 1920 and 1923.
They are the crown jewels of coinage, adding glamour and exceptionality to any collection!
Coins of Record of Australia's sovereigns and half sovereigns are visually stunning, distinguished by brilliant golden-mirror surfaces. And it is their beauty and their ultra-exclusivity that drives demand. You don't buy a piece of proof gold and then put it aside. You savour the moment and you take in its glory, and you show it around to family and friends for they are exclusive and they are beautiful. And they are part of a tradition of proof coining that goes back centuries.
1923 Specimen Sovereign,
Sydney Mint Coin of Record
1923 Specimen Sovereign,
Sydney Mint Coin of Record
1923 Specimen Sovereign,
Sydney Mint Coin of Record
1923 Specimen Sovereign,
Sydney Mint Coin of Record
This 1923 Sovereign was struck as a Coin of Record at the Sydney Mint. The coin is unique.
To understand the motivations of the Sydney Mint in producing Coins of Record. And to know the numbers struck, is to recognise the value and outstanding qualities of this 1923 Sovereign.
The Sydney Mint began operations in 1855, issuing circulating gold sovereigns and half sovereigns. The mint did not have the machinery or the skills to strike Coins of Record, that responsibility taken on by the Royal Mint in London.
The Sydney Mint took control of its proof issues in 1871. Its approach to production of Coins of Record was conservative.
The mintages were tiny. And the years in which they were struck were spread thinly: only four years out of seventeen in the Young Head era (1871 to 1887). Two years in the Jubilee era (1887 to 1893), one in the Veiled Head era (1893 to 1901). One in Edward VII and five in the George V era.
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, five can boast unique pieces, 1871, 1879, 1883, 1920 and 1923.
This 1923 Sydney Specimen Sovereign is one of the truly 'great' coins of Australian numismatics.
The portrait of George V appeared on Australia’s Proof Sovereigns and Proof Half Sovereigns struck at the Sydney Mint between 1911 and 1926, its year of closing. It's an era that boasts Australia's rarest sovereign, the enigmatic 1920 Sydney Sovereign.
Specimen dies of the 1911 sovereign and 1911 half sovereign were preserved at the Sydney Mint until 1926. They are now believed to be at the Royal Australian Mint, Canberra.
A 1911 Proof Half Sovereign is recorded in the Dangar sale, sold Glendinings April 1953 (Lot 240). A 1911 Proof Half Sovereign, described as a semi-matt proof was also offered by Spink Auctions Australia in November 1978 (Lot 686) and is its first and last recorded sighting, the coin realising $900 against a pre-sale estimate of $750. Perhaps the Dangar example.
There is a suggestion that a proof may have been struck in 1914, but both Barrie Winsor and John Sharples indicate that it has never been sighted.
In the twilight years of the Sydney Mint, Coins of Record were struck to specimen quality of coins dated 1920 (1), 1922(2), 1923 (1) and 1926 (3), the number in brackets indicating the known examples.
A 1920, 1922 and 1923 Specimen Sovereign appeared in the Quartermaster Auction on 4 June 2009 as lots 196, 202 and 205, noted having come from Robert Jaggard, Paul Terry and then private treaty Barrie Winsor to the Quartermaster Collection. A second 1922 Specimen Sovereign surfaced in 2007 offered at an auction in Sydney.
The Sydney Mint was the nation's first gold coin producer. During its lifetime, the mint processed more than 1200 tons of native gold, converting it into currency. In addition to producing circulating coins, the Sydney Mint was occasionally called upon to create special presentation pieces. The coins are technically referred to as 'Coins of Record' and were, in the main, struck to a proof finish.
A Coin of Record would be gifted to a monarch, a dignitary or sent to an influential collector. Or put on display at an international trade fair. And if the Royal Mint London requested a sovereign for its archives, it was yet another occasion when a Coin of Record would be minted. Situations where a circulation strike would simply not suffice.
A Coin of Record is an artistic interpretation of coinage, a strikingly beautiful coin beyond ordinary currency. Individually crafted to a proof finish using special coining techniques to standards far exceeding that required of a circulating coin. Occasionally, they were minted to a specimen finish.
Whereas production of circulating coinage was dictated by Government, Coins of Record were struck at the discretion of the mint master. The coins were not produced every year and, as they were individually created, the process was time consuming and the mintages minuscule. For Sydney Mint gold proofs, generally four pieces or less. There were years when only a single coin was struck.
Coins of Record of Australia's sovereigns and half sovereigns are visually stunning, distinguished by brilliant golden-mirror surfaces. And it is their beauty and their ultra-exclusivity that drives demand.
The coins are today a globally traded commodity, confirmed again at St James Auction in New York, January 2026.
They are the crown jewels of coinage, adding glamour and exceptionality to any collection!
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