This colonial creation is a celebration of the Sydney Mint’s achievements in crafting perfection in gold. 

A brilliant frosted proof, featuring the 'Sydney Mint' design, this coin is historic because it was actually struck at the Sydney Mint. (Not the Royal Mint London, as were the other Australian proofs out of this era.)

The coin is unique in private hands.  Two other examples are held in Government institutions, the Museum of Victoria, Melbourne. And the Biblioteque Nationale de France in Paris.

The Sydney Mint opened in 1855 to strike Australia's first gold coins. The sovereign's reverse design featured the name of the mint and is suitably known as, the 'Sydney Mint' design. It appeared on Australia's circulating sovereigns between 1855 and 1870.

In 1871, the reverse design took on a British style, the name of the mint removed and replaced with a discrete single-letter 'S' mint mark. The word 'Australia' was discarded altogether.

The first 'Sydney Mint' proofs were struck at the Royal Mint London in 1853, as test pieces of the new Australian colonial design.

As the Royal Mint produced the dies for the 'Sydney Mint' series, the mint in London continued to strike proofs of our sovereigns in 1855, 1856, 1857, 1866 and 1870.

The mintages in each year were minuscule.

This sector of the market is historically significant as it offers proofs of our first sovereign design. But, because of the minuscule mintages, it is one of the most difficult markets to buy into.

The total market is eleven coins, with dates ranging from 1853 to 1870.

While the Royal Mint proof strikings of our nation's first sovereigns are glorious, they were 'Sydney Mint' proofs by design only. The coins were struck using Royal Mint machinery and Royal Mint expertise. 

This colonial creation is celebrated because it was struck as a proof, featuring the 'Sydney Mint' design, at the Sydney Mint.

(Records confirm that the Royal Mint sent dies of the 1857 sovereign to the Sydney Mint in 1883. The dies were still held at the Mint on its closure in 1926.)

This 1857 Proof Sovereign is a Sydney Mint proof in the truest sense.  Sydney Mint by design and Sydney Mint by manufacturer.

Rare coins raise awareness of our history. And rare coins raise awareness of our accomplishments as individuals and as a nation. It is a statement that may well have been written for this 1857 Proof Sovereign.

Summary details and enlarged photographs are shown below.

1857 Proof Sovereign struck at the Sydney Mint with a grained edge, featuring the 'Sydney Mint' reverse design and the Type II portrait of Queen Victoria on the reverse.

• For collectors, this coin is unique. It is the only privately held example of a Sydney Mint Proof Sovereign struck at the Sydney Mint. 

• Brilliant and flawless.

• First sighted at Spink Auctions November 1986, lot 715.

• Two other examples are known, held in Government institutions. The Museum of Victoria , Melbourne. And the Biblioteque Nationale de France, in Paris.