Australia Sydney Mint Gold Sovereigns Guide.

Australia earliest Sovereign was a Young Head Victoria – the reverse design of which was taken directly from the English Shilling (a common currency at that time in Australia)

Sydney Mint Gold Sovereigns By Year (Table)

This featured a slightly different Young Head of Queen Victoria.

This is known as the Type 1 Australian Sovereign. This was minted at the Sydney Mint in 1855 and 1856 at the Sydney Mint and had a mintmark S below the wreath on the reverse. It had a silver content of 8.33 %. Please note that the Sydney Mint did not produce a sovereign during 1869.

• Young Head Sovereigns. In 1857 the portrait of Queen Victoria was changed to a more Australian version. This featured Queen Victoria wearing a hairstyle with a wreath of native banksia.
  • This design was unique in any British designed coinage.
  • The reverse design remaining unchanged from 1855-56 Type I Sovereigns, this Sovereign became very much sought after.
  • Because this sovereign had a silver content rather than copper this enhanced its popularity. It was a paler color.
  • Sovereigns minted between 1857 and 1864 are some of the scarcest and rarest dates.
  • Sovereigns minted between 1866 to 1870 are more desirable in higher grades.

The Shield Reverse Young Head Sovereigns were minted concurrently with the St George Reverse Sovereigns by both the Sydney and Melbourne Mints. Slaying a dragon was not acceptable in India so the sovereigns were minted with a shield on the reverse. Mintage figure are difficult to ascertain as many sovereigns were re-struck or melted down when they became worn. No Sovereigns were minted in 1876.

• Queen Victoria Young Head St. George Reverse Gold Sovereign 1871-1887
• Queen Victoria Young Head St. George “Reverse Gold Sovereign 1871-1887

This Sovereign was one of the most popular series of Australian coins. It was Minted by both the Sydney and Melbourne Mints concurrently with the Shield Reverse. Before the discovery of the Douro shipwreck all the early pre-1881 dates were extremely difficult to obtain.

• Jubilee Sovereigns.
  • These were minted in 1887 to celebrate 50 years of reign of Queen Victoria.
    • These sovereigns were minted until 1893 when they were replaced by the more mature Veiled head style. (Old Head Sovereigns).

• Old Head Sovereigns.
  • These were minted for seven years and are a very popular coin for both type collectors and date/mint collectors.
    • The whole series consists of only 14 coins. The rarest date is the first minted 1887 Sydney, however several of the dates are much scarcer than the price indicates and some appear undervalued in uncirculated and higher grades.

• Veiled Head Sovereigns.
  • Queen Victoria Veiled Head St. George Reverse Gold Sovereign 1893-1901
    • Queen Victoria Veiled Head St. George Reverse Sovereigns were minted between 1893 and 1901 until Queen Victoria’s death.

Sydney’s gold sovereigns offer collectors an intriguing study in Australia’s economy between 1855 and 1926. The rarity of many gold coins from the Sydney Mint were shaped by such significant events as the gold rushes of the late 1800’s, the land depression of 1893 and the economic boom of the 1920’s. As an example of how the Sydney sovereign series reflects Australia’s alternating economic fortunes during this telling period, within the space of a mere five years, the Sydney Mint had issued both our rarest and most common gold sovereigns. Further to that, a year later the Mint was forced to close – ironically due to the fact it was no longer able to earn a profit from minting coins.

A complete set of Sydney sovereigns covers 71 years, 8 obverse and reverse types & 88 different dates. It includes some of the rarest coins ever issued by Australia, and to complete it is a significant achievement – one that has been accomplished less than a handful of times this century. The prestige surrounding the few which have been completed has lasted long after their owners have passed on – one for near to a century.

For collectors looking to obtain just one gold sovereign from the Sydney Mint, the Queen Victoria Type II obverse is clearly the preferred choice. Its uniquely Australian designs were traded at business centres the world over for decades. They remain an enduring symbol of the Sydney Mint’s work in transforming Australia’s first major mineral resource into the lifeblood of a nation.

The New south Wales Sovereign with the wreath and Australia on reverse 1866 to 1870 contained silver instead of copper on some, others contained copper. An argument broke out between the Sydney and Melbourne mints, during Victorian day’s where the Melbourne mint said, their sovereigns were better than Sydney mint ones. When PYX tests were done, authorized by the Royal mint on Melbourne and Sydney mint, it was found that in fact the Sydney mint Sovereigns were slightly better than Melbourne Sovereigns, So New south Wales won the argument. Some old head Sydney mint Sovereigns are also very yellow in color due to silver being used instead of copper. Also, some George V 1911 half Sovereigns are also very brass, color due to silver used by the Royal mint instead of copper