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Gold Sovereigns
1871 Sydney Mint, Australia
22 Carat Gold
Legislation for the establishment of a branch of the London Royal Mint in Sydney was announced in August 1853 - much to the disappointment of the Legislative Councils of Victoria and South Australia who also applied for the honor of having Australia's third - but first official - mint.
Established in a wing of the old Rum Hospital, the mint opened on May 14, 1855. The obverse was only slightly different to that used on British minted sovereigns and half sovereigns, the reverse was uniquely Australian. In 1870 it was decided to abolish the distinctive designs as London was determined to have a simplified monetary system between itself and its ever expanding colonies. Thus in 1871 the standard British types were adopted instead. It was Britain's intention to issue sovereigns of both types. It allowed the branch mints to decide which, and how much of the two designs to strike.
3,259,000
Young Head , Shield Reverse.
"WW " Incused
The first portrait for Queen Victoria was the "Young Head", which was used on sovereigns from 1938 to 1887 inclusive. It was refined and modified a number of times during this period. In the case of Shield reverse the date appears below Victoria's portrait ( With St George, the date appears on the reverse. ) The design can best be described by the Master of the Royal Mint, when writing to Queen Victoria regarding its proposal in 1837:
“.... the Ensigns Armorial of the United Kingdom .... Contained in a plain shield, surmounted by the Royal Crown and encircled with a Laurel Wreath, with the inscription BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID DEF, having the united Rose, Thistle and Shamrock placed under the shield.".
The nature of this design is such that shield sovereigns tend to be marginally concave on the reverse - because it is to a small extent protected by the rims.
It can be difficult to accurately distinguish between different grades. For the same reason, shields are generally well struck. As with all coins however, some small differences will occur.
From top to bottom, some of the more prominent points however are:
- The orb at the peak of the crown, the gems directly below this point, and the cross directly
below the gems;
- The diamonds across the base of the crown, and also the fur directly at the base;
- The edge and separators of the shield;
- The upper edges of certain leaves comprising the surrounding wreath;
- The faces on the lions in the upper left and lower right quartiles of the shield;
- The bust and torso of the angel in the lower left quartile of the shield.
Specifications
Sources
| Composition: | 91.67% Gold 8.33% Copper |
| Gold Content: | 0.2354 oz |
| Edge: | Reeded |
| Weight: | 7.9881 grams |
| Size: | 21.5 mm |
| Reverse: | Jean Baptiste Merlen |
| Obverse: | William Wyon |
| Chard Gold Sovereigns | Andrew Crellin of Monetarium |
The Sovereign Daniel Fearon & Brian Reeds 2001 17 Windmill Drive Croxley Green, Hertfordshire United Kingdom Token Publishing |
The Gold Sovereign Golden Jubilee Edition Michael A Marsh 2002 25A St Neots Rd Hardwick Cambrigeshire CB3 7QH United Kingdom |