1855 Sydney Mint Sovereign - PCGS MS63

Australia, 1855 Sydney Mint Sovereign -

Some coins appear on the market once a generation. While every numismatic rarity is unique in its own way, some coins stand alone as outstanding examples of their type, denomination, or year. The present coin, photographed here, is one such coin. Australia’s first sovereign and the British Empire’s first colonial sovereign, this 1855 Sydney Mint sovereign is one of the finest examples of early Australian colonial coinage to have survived. It is superbly struck, with sharp detail on the effigy, wreath, and crown; the fields are tidy and minimally marked, and have a hint of proof-like reflectivity, especially on the obverse; the edges are square and full. This particular coin has a pedigree going back 46 years, having first appeared on the market in a Spink Australia sale in 1978 (where it sold for $11,000). It subsequently sold again through Spink Australia (later Noble Numismatics) in 1986. Sydney coin dealer Robert Jaggard placed the coin into the famed collection of Paul Terry, from whom Monetarium Sydney later acquired the coin. In 1992, Monetarium sold the coin into the Quartermaster Collection, where it remained until 2009. The current owner, a collector from Sydney, certified the coin with PCGS; PCGS pedigreed the coin on the label, and awarded the coin a grade of MS63, placing it amongst the top two finest examples certified by them (7/24). If you are a serious collector or investor of historically important coins, or are building a very high-grade type or date set, this is your coin.