World Coins

Lot # 10562 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1897S QV Old head gold Half Sovereign. Fully lustrous, obv hairline scr, aU/Choice UNC. (P)Estimate: AUD 1000

Lot # 10561 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1893S QV Old head gold Half Sovereign. F/VF. (P)Estimate: AUD 800

Lot # 10560 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1893S QV Old head gold Half Sovereign. Lustrous aU. (P)Estimate: AUD 1200

Lot # 10559 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1893M QV Old head gold Half Sovereign. Lustrous. Graded PCGS aU 58. The rarest date Half Sovereign, only 3 examples have been graded by PCGS & this is the highest grade. Ren cat $100,000 in EF, not priced in higher grade as no coins above this grade were known to the editors of the catalogue. One of the true rarities of Australian numismatics. Another example of this coin graded NGC AU58 was offered in Baldwin’s 2019 Auction 36, Lot 75, . Estimate US $110,000 - US$125,000 (Approximately A$145,000 – A$170,000) The extensive description with acknowledgement to Baldwin’s of St James was as follows This delightful coin ranks as one of the most important gold pieces struck in Australia. Mintage figures given for the entire 'issue' date are 110,024 pieces, including 24 proofs. Those statistics may be misleading, as explained below. The SCBC (Spink) book provides no details other than saying it is extremely rare, in any condition. Value estimates in the Australian references for the great rarities must be, by necessity, approximations based on past sales. The most important rarities, such as the half sovereign in this lot, appear for sale with decreasing frequency and are more keenly sought than ever by the top collectors. All others look and wish, but at least all collectors now have the opportunity to see these coins in colour and in detail on the Internet. The 1893 half sovereign, minted from native ore at Melbourne, seems to have been the subject of vast meltings in past times, no doubt including the massive melt of 1931-32 by the Royal Mint, which at that time turned more than £90 million worth of gold coins, from all British mints, into gold bars as a more convenient form of storage for the Bank of England. No one paid attention in the least to the dates and mintmarks on those destroyed coins. The other source of destruction was the common practice of jewellers around the world of melting coins such as this, made of nearly pure gold, in order to make rings and other sorts of ornaments. The consequence was the inadvertent creation of a number of numismatic rarities. More broadly speaking, a major depression occurred in the Australian colony in the 1890s, 1893 being the worst year. Many banks were forced to close, some permanently. A consequence of those bad times was that no half sovereigns were minted at Melbourne from 1888-1895, with the exception of 1893. Because of this lapse, it is believed that the 1893 mintage of 110,000 half sovereigns in that year were mostly, or perhaps all, coins of the Jubilee Head style – the last obverse die at the mint being of that type, and the Veiled Head not introduced until 1893. It remains a mystery why the 1893 Melbourne half sovereigns with the Veiled Head exist, but clearly they do! It is currently estimated that as few as 5 are known to exist, as well as one verified proof of the original supposedly 24 pieces made. Almost all of the survivors of this issue are well worn, grading fine or even lower. Three of those were recently discovered in the Reserve Bank of Australia and were sold in 2005. Based on present knowledge, this little gold coin appears to be the rarest of all gold coins bearing Australian mintmarks. The presently offered specimen is believed to be the finest known example of this great rarity from the end of Queen Victoria's reign. Comparing this coin to another major Australian gold rarity, the 1920 sovereign struck at Sydney, it becomes clear that the 1893 Melbourne half sovereign is relatively undervalued. Nine 1920 Sydney sovereigns are known to exist in collectors' hands, the last sale being in the 2013 Baldwin's auction of the Bentley Collection, that coin selling for £780,000. But only about half as many Veiled Head half sovereigns of 1893 minted at Melbourne appear to exist. This coin was not sold.. Subsequent to this listing, the numbers extant for both coins has increased by 2 or 3 of each. Comparison of this lot on offer with the photo of Baldwin’s example clearly shows this is a much superior coin and is without doubt the finest known.Estimate: AUD 120000

Lot # 10558 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1893M QV Jubilee head gold Half Sovereign. VF. (P)Estimate: AUD 850

Lot # 10557 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1891S QV Jubilee head normal JEB gold Half Sovereign. aVF. (P)Estimate: AUD 800

Lot # 10556 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1891S QV Jubilee head gold Half Sovereign. VF. (P)Estimate: AUD 900

Lot # 10555 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1889s QV Jubilee head gold Half Sovereign. VF. (P)Estimate: AUD 900

Lot # 10554 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1887S QV Jubilee head small spread JEB gold Half Sovereign. aEF/aU. (P)Estimate: AUD 900

Lot # 10553 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1887S QV Jubilee head gold Half Sovereign. Slabbed PCGS AU58. (P)Estimate: AUD 1300

Lot # 10552 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1887S QV Jubilee head gold Half Sovereign. Slabbed PCGS AU53. (P)Estimate: AUD 1500

Lot # 10551 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1887M QV Jubilee head normal JEB gold Half Sovereign. Practically UNC/Choice UNC. Ren cat UNC $2500, Choice UNC $4500. (P)Estimate: AUD 1300

Lot # 10550 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1887S QV Young head gold Half Sovereign. gF/aVF. (P)Estimate: AUD 850

Lot # 10549 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1886M QV Young head gold Half Sovereign. Fully lustrous UNC, minor obv field scuff. One of the nicest known. Very rare this grade. Ren cat $22,500. (P)Estimate: AUD 6000

Lot # 10548 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1882S QV Young head gold Half Sovereign. Practically UNC. Ren cat $27,500. Very rare this nice. (P)Estimate: AUD 7500

Lot # 10547 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1875S QV Young head. Full matte lustre, obv die a bit flat on hair of forehead, aU/UNC. McD-17 cat aU $19,500, UNC $35,500. Rare. (P)Estimate: AUD 5000

Lot # 10546 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1873M QV Young head gold Half Sovereign. gEF/UNC, obv fine hairlines, rev with full lustre. Most attractive & rare this grade. Ren cat aU $6000, UNC $20,000. (P)Estimate: AUD 3000

Lot # 10545 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1871S QV Young head gold Half Sovereign. gEF/UNC, obv tiny contact mks, rev with full lustre. Ren cat aU $5000, UNC $17,500. (P)Estimate: AUD 2000

Lot # 10544 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1866 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. VG, polished, flts. (P)Estimate: AUD 750

Lot # 10543 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1866 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. Die break through colon after G or D G. Matte lustre aEF/EF. (P)Estimate: AUD 1500

Lot # 10542 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1864 Sydney Mint Type II Roman 1 in date. Only the 2nd example seen. Scr on neck, F & very rare. (P)Estimate: AUD 5000

Lot # 10541 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1864 Sydney Mint Type II Arabic 1 gold Half Sovereign. Brilliant fully lustrous UNC/aU, small rim fault above Queen's head. Ren cat aU $5000, UNC $20,000. (P)Estimate: AUD 5000

Lot # 10540 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1863 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. Lustrous gVF/aEF. (P)Estimate: AUD 1800

Lot # 10539 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1862 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. Pleasant VF. (P)Estimate: AUD 1300

Lot # 10538 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1861 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. VG. (P)Estimate: AUD 800

Lot # 10537 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1861 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. No berry above L of HALF. aEF/gVF. RARE. PCGS have only graded 2 examples of this variety compared with 64 with berry. (P)Estimate: AUD 3000

Lot # 10536 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1860 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. F. (P)Estimate: AUD 1100

Lot # 10535 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1860 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. Lustrous EF, sl obv scuffs on Queen's neck. Ren cat $10,000. rare. (P)Estimate: AUD 3000

Lot # 10534 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1859 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. F. (P)Estimate: AUD 900

Lot # 10533 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1859 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. F. (P)Estimate: AUD 800

Lot # 10532 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1859 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. Tiny mks on Queen's neck & in hair, test mark on rim above head, lustrous aU. (P)Estimate: AUD 4000

Lot # 10531 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1858 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. VG. (P)Estimate: AUD 850

Lot # 10530 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1858 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. Large die crack from rim through D of DG across Queen's head to rim passing through R of BRITANNIAR. Edge knocks EF. (P)Estimate: AUD 1500

Lot # 10529 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1858 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign with major PREVIOUSLY UNRECORDED die variety LARGE ROMAN '1' W ITH SLOPING HEAD SERIF IN THE DATE. The 1 touches the base of the Queen's bust. Old-time reverse scratch which is not that obvious. Obverse is problem free. Graded PCGS Genuine, Scratch XF Detail. A new important discovery.Estimate: AUD 20000

Lot # 10528 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1858 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign with major die spelling error, denomination spelt SOVRREIGN instead of SOVEREIGN. One of less than 10 examples known. This coin has been graded by PCGS as XF45 and is by far and away the finest known example. Only 3 coins have been graded by PCGS VG-10, Lot 11521 Status International Auction 389 (June 2004), Net: $9150, F-15 & this coin XF-45. Other sales recorded include Lot 1532, Australian Coin Auctions, Auction 308 (July 2011). Net: $15,502. Punch mark in obverse field, even wear right across both sides. VG. Lot 603, Australian Coin Auctions, Auction 309 (October 2011). Net: $23,850. Ex RBA Downie 290/556. G/VG, Mark in obverse field and across neck. Lot 555, Australian Coin Auctions, Auction 290 (November 2005). Net: $17,935. Ex Reserve Bank archives, VG. Lot 556, Australian Coin Auctions, Auction 290 (November 2005). Net: $17,935. Ex Reserve Bank archives, G/VG. Mark in obverse field and across neck. Lot 5629, Status International Auction 225 (June 2005). Net: $15,728. VG/F . An opportunity not to be missedEstimate: AUD 50000

Lot # 10527 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1857 Sydney Mint Type II gold Half Sovereign. Polished, VG. (P)Estimate: AUD 850

Lot # 10526 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1856/5 Sydney Mint type 1 overdate, gold Half Sovereign, reverse type 1/3. Dot above L of HALF, no extra dot. F, sl scr on obv & has been wiped. The overdate is nice & clean. Rare. (P)Estimate: AUD 4000

Lot # 10525 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1856/5 Sydney Mint Type I overdate, reverse type I/3. gF. Rare. (P)Estimate: AUD 5000

Lot # 10524 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1856 Sydney Mint Type I gold Half Sovereign. Much underlying lustre, minor contacts, EF. (P)Estimate: AUD 5000

Lot # 10523 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. 1856 Sydney Mint Type I, reverse type 1/3 Berry above L. Slabbed PCGS AU53. McD003a. Rare (P)Estimate: AUD 8000

Lot # 10522 - AUSTRALIA HALF- SOVEREIGNS. Gold Regulations: Victoria 1854 Rules & regulations inc licence fees,penalties, size of claim etc. Original 2 pg document 220 x 330mm onblue paper printed by Government Printer, Melbourne. Very minor edge aging o/w VGCEstimate: AUD 300

Lot # 10521 - AUSTRALIA - ADELAIDE ASSAY OFFICE. 1852 Adelaide Assay Office 1 Pound type II with crenulated inner circle. Overall well struck, slightly weak around 1 o'clock. Lt scuffing/scrs left of crown. Lustrous practically UNC. (P)Estimate: AUD 23000

Lot # 10520 - AUSTRALIA - ADELAIDE ASSAY OFFICE. 1852 Adelaide Assay Office 1 Pound type II with crenulated inner circle. Later die state with 4 dots above 2 C of 22 CARETS. Slabbed PCGS AU55. One of the nicer examples extant. KM-2 (P)Estimate: AUD 24000

Lot # 10519 - AUSTRALIA - PORT PHILLIP COINS. 1853 PORT PHILLIP, Kangaroo Office, 'Pure Australian Gold', 1oz struck from original dies by W.J. Taylor, London. (11.85g) This a plain edge restrike, almost certainly struck ca1917 - 19 by Stokes & Son, Melbourne in whose possession the dies were at that time. gVF. Around the rim there is a small line suggesting the coin is an electrotype but the coin appears to sound solid when tested. XRF analysis gold 49.07%, silver 46.4%, copper 3.42%, other metals 1.145%. We can find no record of restrikes in this metal. Extremely interesting piece. (P)Estimate: AUD 6000

Lot # 10518 - AUSTRALIA - PORT PHILLIP COINS. 1853 PORT PHILLIP, Kangaroo Office, 'Pure Australian Gold', ½oz struck from original dies by W.J. Taylor, London. (7.00g) This a plain edge restrike, almost certainly struck ca1917 - 19 by Stokes & Son, Melbourne in whose possession the dies were at that time. gVF, large & a small dig near ½.. Around the rim there is a small line suggesting the coin is an electrotype but the coin appears to solid when drop tested. XRF analysis gold 43.11%, silver 55.01, copper 1.59%, other metals 0.285%. We can find no record of restrikes in this metal. Extremely interesting pieceEstimate: AUD 3000

Lot # 10517 - AUSTRALIA - PORT PHILLIP COINS. 1853 PORT PHILLIP, Kangaroo Office, 'Pure Australian Gold', ¼oz struck from original dies by W.J. Taylor, London. (11.85g) This a plain edge restrike, almost certainly struck ca1917 - 19 by Stokes & Son, Melbourne in whose possession the dies were at that time. gVF. Around the rim there is a small line suggesting the coin is an electrotype but the coin appears to sound solid drop when tested. XRF analysis gold 46.11%, silver 51.17%, copper 1.72%, other metals 1.145%. We can find no record of restrikes in this metal. Extremely interesting piece. (P)Estimate: AUD 4000

Lot # 10516 - AUSTRALIA - GOLD NUGGETS & RELATED. Alluvial gold nugget with a loop attached to the top to make pendant. High grade. 7.87g. (P)Estimate: AUD 1800

Lot # 10515 - AUSTRALIA - GOLD NUGGETS & RELATED. Alluvial gold nugget with a loop attached to the top to make pendant. High grade. 6.22g.Estimate: AUD 1500

Lot # 10514 - AUSTRALIA - GOLD NUGGETS & RELATED. Alluvial gold nuggets 2.33g. (2)Estimate: AUD 500

Lot # 10513 - AUSTRALIA - HOLEY DOLLARS & DUMPS. 1813 New South Wales Dump (15 Pence) die struck contemporary counterfeit in copper (4.32g). Found in Pitt St Sydney excavations 1921. Ex Tom Hanley collection, ex Nobles 121 lot 1170 realised $2196. gF/F. Extremely Rare only 6 known in private hands. (P)Estimate: AUD 2000