Australia 1864-S 1/2 sovereign
This specimen was lot 71057 in Stack's Bowers 2019 Collector's Choice sale (Santa Ana, CA, October 2019), where it sold for $312. The catalog description[1] noted, "AUSTRALIA. 1/2 Sovereign, 1864. Sydney Mint. Victoria. PCGS Genuine--Mount Removed, AU Details Gold Shield. Popular and hotly collected in any grade, this date is even more desired in a higher grade such as this, regardless of its prior use as a jewelry piece." 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.
Recorded mintage: 141,000, a better date.
Specification: 3.99 g, 0.917 fine gold, .117 troy oz AGW.
Catalog reference: KM 3, Fr-10a.
- 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, Richard Ponterio and Kyle Ponterio, The October 2019 Collector's Choice Sale: World and Ancient Coins, Santa Ana, CA: Stack's Bowers LLC, 2019.
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