? The 1872 Sydney has, like the 1871, its own unique design. Theobverse has two distinct identifiers: the tip of Queen Victoria's nose lines up with the left hand side of the 'T' in VICTORIA, and the 'I' of DEI lines up with the crown of her head. Ttip of nose lines up with 'T', and 'I' lines up with crown of head. The reverse can be differentiated from the 1871 by the cross on top of the crown, which touches the rims. Top of the cross touches the rims. ...
? The 1860 is the scarcest wreathed bust half sovereign after the enigmatic 1855 and the third scarcest Sydney Mint date overall. It is estimated that there are fewer than 250 pieces surviving, most of which have some form of damage making certified examples rare. There were four problem-free examples offered at the Reserve Bank of Australia Sale from a total of 20 1860s . Prior to this, 1860s were extremely difficult to acquire though they did turn up in dealers' bullion piles from ...
? Struck along side the Perth mint half penny and penny, and the threepence, the 1964 penny is the last pre-decimal coin to be struck in Australia. With 10 million pieces struck to serve just two years of circulation, numerous unused bank rolls of 1964 pennies have surfaced making the coin very common in mint state . Sourcing the date with full mint brilliance can be quite easy although the date does pose quite a challenge if desired in MS65 and is very rare in MS66.
? The Perth mint series is relatively easy to complete with all dates available in mint state for close to bullion value. The 1929 is the scarcest to acquire in mint state while the 1930 and 1931 are readily available from MS62 to MS64. The 1931 is available with both a matte and brilliant finish. While the matte finish is slightly scarcer, the brilliant finish tends to sell higher due to a more attractive appearance. The matte finish appears to be the only type to turn up in MS65 or higher with ...
? The Type III Shield sovereign features the Imperial shield design on the reverse paired with William Wyon's portrait of Queen Victoria on the obverse. It differs from the Type II Shield sovereign by having a smaller bust. A key identification point is illustrated below. The mint of this issue can be identified by a mintmark beneath the shield on the reverse as shown in the illustrations below: The absence of a mintmark or the presence of a die number indicates a London ...
