During the Australian Gold Rush the Royal Mint allowed for
the construction of a local mint in Sydney to process the raw gold into Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns. By the 1870's the
Victorian goldfields were producing such large quantities of gold that a second mint was opened
in Melbourne in 1872. The Royal Australian Mint has commemorated
130 years since since this event with the release of a Melbourne Mint
piece. The reverse design includes a depiction of the entrance of the
Melbourne Mint and two gold sovereign designs. There is also the
text "MELBOURNE MINT 1872 - 2002" and the denomination "ONE DOLLAR". The obverse
includes the Ian Rank-Broadley portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II with the
legend
"ELIZABETH II AUSTRALIA 2002".
The piece was released as part of the subscription dollar series which ran yearly between 1996 and 2011 with the exception
of 2001. The subscription series was distinct from others as each issue was made to order. This meant that the total mintage
was limited to the number of orders that had been made in advance of mintage. The series commemorated Australian numismatic
history with a number of significant designs being re-struck as well as coins celebrating milestones such as a century of
Australian coinage.
Find out what dealers are paying with a subscription.
