Australia 1873-M sovereign
This specimen was lot 2352 in the Eliasberg sale, where it sold for $690. The catalog description[1] noted, "1873 M sovereign. Melbourne mint. MS-61 (NGC). Types as above. Lustrous yellow gold." This familiar "St. George and the dragon" type was struck 1871-87 at the Melbourne and Sydney mints simultaneously with the "shield" type. The SCWC does not attempt to separate the mintages of the two types. The Melbourne mint was opened in 1872 to strike the gold found in Australia and was not employed to strike ordinary circulation coinage until 1916.
Recorded mintage: 752,000 (no shield sovereigns are recorded for Melbourne in 1873).
Specification: 7.99 g, 0.917 fine gold, .2354 troy oz AGW; this specimen: 8.00 grams, 22.00 mm diameter.
Catalog reference: KM 7, Fr-16.
- 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.
- 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.
- Skingley, Philip, ed., Standard Catalogue of British Coins: Coins of England & the United Kingdom, 46th edition, London: Spink & Son, 2011.
- [1]Kraljevich, John, John Pack, Elizabeth O. Piper and Frank Van Valen, The Louis E. Eliasberg, Sr., Collection of World Gold Coins and Medals, Wolfboro, NH: American Numismatic Rarities, 2005.
Link to:
- 1872-M sovereign, shield reverse
- 1872-M sovereign, St. George reverse
- 1871-S sovereign, St. George reverse
- 1873-S sovereign, shield reverse
- 1873-S sovereign, St. George and the dragon reverse
- 1874-M sovereign, St. George and the dragon reverse
- 1874-M sovereign, shield reverse
- 1877-M sovereign
- Coins and currency dated 1873
- other specimens in The Eliasberg Collection.
- return to coins of Australia