Australia 1862-S 1/2 sovereign
This specimen was lot 1004 in Stack's Bowers NYINC sale (New York, January 2022), where it sold for $5,040. The catalog description[1] noted, "AUSTRALIA. 1/2 Sovereign, 1862-SYDNEY. Sydney Mint. Victoria. PCGS MS-61. Tied for second finest certified with one other example of the PCGS population report, only three finer (all MS 62). This nicely preserved survivor boasts a strong strike with bold well defined devices exhibiting signs of handling consistent for the grade. The surfaces display lovely mottled iridescent patina offering much originality and is pleasing to the eye. A tough date to locate in this high state of preservation that is sure to catch the attention of many gold specialists." Half sovereigns were coined in Australia 1855-1920 in small numbers compared to the enormous quantities of sovereigns issued in that period. This type, with the queen's hair tied in a banksia wreath, was struck 1857-66 only and all the dates are rare today. 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. It closed in 1926.
Recorded mintage: 210,000.
Specification: 3.99 g, 0.917 fine gold, .117 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: Fr-10a; KM-3.
- 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]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, The 2022 NYINC Sale: World and Ancient Coins, featuring the Mark and Lottie Salton Collection and the Pat Johnson Collection, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2021.
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