Australia 1857-S sovereign
This specimen was lot 32441 in Heritage sale 3049 (Long Beach, September 2016), where it sold for $1,057.50. The catalog description[1] noted, "Victoria gold Sovereign 1857-SYDNEY AU55 NGC, Sydney mint. Gently circulated with light surface marks under soft toning. A noteworthy example of this important date. From the Ohio Valley Collection." This type, bearing the portrait of Queen Victoria wearing a banksia wreath, was struck at the Sydney mint 1857-70. The total issue was in the tens of millions yet the type is scarce today, especially in nice condition. The Sydney mint was opened in 1855 to strike the gold found in Australia and was not employed to strike ordinary circulation coinage until 1920.
Recorded mintage: 499,000 plus proofs, a scarce date.
Specification: 7.99 g, 0.917 fine gold, .2354 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: Fr-10, KM 4.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1801-1900, 9th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- McDonald, Greg, The Pocket Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes, 23rd ed., Lavington, Australia, 2017.
- Pitt, Michael, ed., Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values, 32nd Edition, Matraville, New South Wales, Australia: Renniks Publications, 2023.
- Friedberg, Arthur L. and Ira S. Friedberg, Gold Coins of the World, From Ancient Times to the Present, 9th ed., Clifton, NJ: Coin and Currency Institute, 2017.
- [1]Cristiano Bierrenbach, Warren Tucker and David Michaels, Heritage World Coin Auction 3049, featuring the Ohio Valley Collection, the Redwood Collection and the F.P. Briand Collection, Dallas, TX: Heritage Auction Galleries, 2016.
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