Australia 1926-M sovereign
This specimen was lot 76114 in Stack's Bowers Collectors Choice sale (Costa Mesa, CA, November 2025), where it sold for $1,680. The catalog description[1] noted, "AUSTRALIA. Sovereign, 1926-M. Melbourne Mint. George V. PCGS MS-64. A lovely near-Gem specimen, offering bold luster and a handsome golden allure." This type was struck 1911-28 at the Sydney, Melbourne and Perth mints. The Australian sovereign is identical to the ordinary British sovereign in every respect except for the addition of a mintmark, which will be found buried in the rock below the dragon on the reverse. As British issues effectively ceased after 1916, Australian sovereigns of George V are quite a bit more common. A slightly modified type (KM 32) was struck 1929 until 1931, when gold coinage ceased altogether.
Recorded mintage: 211,000.
Specification: 7.98 g, 0.917 fine gold, 22.05 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: S-3999; Fr-39; KM-29.
- 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.
- McDonald, Greg, The Pocket Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes, 23rd ed., Lavington, Australia, 2017.
- Michael, Thomas, and Tracy L. Schmidt, Standard Catalog of World Coins, 1901-2000, 47th ed., Iola, WI: Krause Publications, 2019.
- Pitt, Michael, Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values, 32nd Edition, Matraville, New South Wales, Australia: Renniks Publications, 2023.
- Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
- [1]Orsini, Matt, Kyle Ponterio and Jeremy Bostwick, November 2025 World Collectors Choice Online Auction, Costa Mesa, CA: Stack's Bowers Galleries, Inc., 2025.
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