In 1851, the colony of New South Wales petitioned the Home Office in London for a branch of the Royal Mint. Approval was granted in 1853, the Sydney Mint opening two years later issuing Australia's first official gold coinage, the 1855 Sydney Mint Sovereign and 1855 Sydney Mint Half Sovereign.

The Royal Mint London prepared designs of Australia’s first gold coinage and manufactured the dies.

The sovereign and half sovereign obverse design was a filleted bust of Victoria, only slightly different to that used on British sovereigns. We refer to it as the Type 1 design.

The obverse quickly fell out of favour and James Wyon was ordered to engrave a new obverse that would be uniquely Australian to easily distinguish the colonial sovereigns from their British counterparts.

To this end, a new portrait was introduced in 1857 that featured Queen Victoria with a banksia wreath in her hair instead of the band. We refer to it as the Type 2 design.

The reverse design was based loosely around contemporary reverse designs of the British sixpence and shilling. Its strong point of difference to the British sovereigns was the inclusion of the words 'Australia' and 'Sydney Mint'.

The use of the word Australia, a fascination with historians. At the time the nation was operating as separate colonies. Australia did not operate under a single Government until Federation in 1901

Australia struck its first gold half sovereign in 1855. The last was minted during the reign of George V, in 1918. During this period, seven different designs were used.
Of the seven different designs, the most important is that of the Sydney Mint series. It was the first design used on our first gold half sovereign, classically Australian – and came from the nation’s first mint, the Sydney Mint.
There are two different designs in the Sydney Mint series, designated the Type 1 and Type 2. The Sydney Mint Type 1 design was struck on circulating sovereigns in 1855 and 1856. A variation in the portrait saw the introduction of the Type 2 design which ran from 1857 to 1870.
The nation’s first half sovereign flaunted Royal protocol by the use of a uniquely Australian design.
The Sydney Mint series lasted until 1870. It was the first and last time such license was given to a branch of the Royal Mint London, Australia’s gold coins thereafter taking up traditional British designs.

The Sydney Mint struck a modest 502,000 Sovereigns and an even more modest 21,000 Half Sovereigns in 1855. In the second year, sovereign and half sovereign production rose to 981,000 and 478,000 respectively.

Sovereign mintages were cranked up thereafter. In its first ten years of operation, Sydney Mint annual sovereign production averaged 1.45 million coins. Correspondingly, Sydney Mint Half Sovereign mintages remained modest, averaging 285,000 coins.

Australia struck its first gold half sovereign in 1855. The last was minted during the reign of George V, in 1918. During this period, seven different designs were used.

Of the seven different designs, the most important is that of the Sydney Mint series. It was the first design used on our first gold half sovereign, classically Australian – and came from the nation’s first mint, the Sydney Mint.

There are two different designs in the Sydney Mint series, designated the Type 1 and Type 2. The Sydney Mint Type 1 design was struck on circulating sovereigns in 1855 and 1856. A variation in the portrait saw the introduction of the Type 2 design which ran from 1857 to 1870.

The nation’s first half sovereign flaunted Royal protocol by the use of a uniquely Australian design.

The Sydney Mint series lasted until 1870. It was the first and last time such license was given to a branch of the Royal Mint London, Australia’s gold coins thereafter taking up traditional British designs.