At the time of this post, the spot gold price is AU$ 1,590. That gives actual gold value in a half sovereign of AU$187. Add $60 to that, and you get around $250, which would be my personal price guide if I was looking for a choice Unc. 1916s Half Sovereign myself.
Actually I am looking for a British Half Sovereign in the period 1825 to 1855, before the opening of the Sydney Mint. Sterling currency was firmly established in Australia in 1825, when a large supply of freshly minted coin from
The Royal Mint was landed in Sydney. I don't think there were any gold coins in this shipment, but 1825 is the start date that I have selected anyway.
An early Victorian Half Sovereign in good EF came up at auction a couple of years ago with a reserve of $250, estimate $350, which I thought was a bit low, but it encouraged a low bid from me. I missed out, and I am still looking.
British coins of the period 1825 to 1855 are an integral part of Australian coinage history, which is most often ignored by Australian collectors. That is why I have an interest in this period. As I said in a previous post, I am an obtuse collector.
Why am I currently looking for Half sovereigns, rather than Sovereigns?
The sovereign was almost exclusively minted to pay for imports into Australia.
The Half Sovereign was the coin issued to the public for circulation. That is why Australian minted sovereigns were made in much larger numbers, and why Half Sovereigns are more often found with extensive wear.
It also explains why Sydney Mint Half Sovereigns are so pricey in better grades.
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Posted 01/22/2012 04:46 am
