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A Hypothetical Question. What's Harder To Assemble - Predecimal Aussie Gold Or Silver Type Set?

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Australia
3831 Posts
 Posted 02/22/2026  09:30 am Show Profile   Bookmark this topic Add gxseries to your friends list Get a Link to this Message Number of Subscribers
This would have been a rather silly question as gold price is going for record price.

But if you include the 1852 Adelaide pound (type I and II) and 1813 NSW holey & dump as part of type set since they technically both circulated...

Would the gold or silver type set be harder to assemble? Mintage wise, the 1852 Adelaide Pound type I is quite scarce at est. 20 - 50. Survival rate of holey dollars est. 300 but they command absurd prices...

Grades come into play which dictate prices. Even so, low grade of any of them would command some serious price. Which one do you think is harder to assemble? Gold? Silver?




My partial coin collection http://www.omnicoin.com/collection/gxseries
My numismatics articles and collection: http://www.gxseries.com/numis/numis_index.htm
Regularly updated at least once a month.
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United States
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Sap's Avatar
Australia
16806 Posts
 Posted 02/25/2026  5:08 pm  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Sap to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I would rate the gold set as "harder to assemble", simply because there are more rare items to assemble in it.

Here's my reckoning of what a silver "type set" comprises, as per your definition which includes the Holey Dollar and Dump:
- Holey dollar
- Dump
- Edward VII threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin
- George V threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin
- George VI sterling threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin, crown
- George VI debased 1946-7 threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin
- George VI debased no IND IMP threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin
- Elizabeth II 1953 faithless threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin
- Elizabeth II threepence, sixpence, shilling, florin
- Commemorative florins: 1927, 1934/5, 1951, 1954

35 coin types total. All easy to come by coins, except for the first two.

Now for gold, including the Adelaide pounds we have:
- Adelaide Pound Type I
- Adelaide Pound type II
- Sydney Mint Type I ½ and 1 sovereign
- Sydney Mint Type II ½ and 1 sovereign
- Victoria young head St George 1 sovereign
- Victoria young head Shield ½ and 1 sovereign
- Victoria Jubilee head ½, 1, 2 and 5 sovereigns
- Victoria Old Head ½ and 1 sovereign
- Edward VII ½, 1, 2 and 5 sovereigns
- George V ½ and 1 sovereign

21 coins total. Fewer coins, but not only is each individual "common" coin more expensive due to the metal price alone, but there are more rarities: both Adelaide Pound types, as well as the four multiple-sovereign types, giving us six very-high-priced hard-to-get flagship coins to chase down, compared to just the two silvers.

Even if you exclude the "colonial" coins (Adelaide pounds and Holey Dollar/Dump) on account of their being issued in the name of specific colonies rather than "Australia" as a whole, the gold coins still become the "hardest" set to complete simply because of those rare multiple-pound coins from the Sydney mint in 1887 and 1902. Of course, one can in theory exclude all of the gold coins except for the Adelaide Pound and Sydney Mint types on account of their technically being "British Empire coins that happen to be struck in Australia" rather than "Australian coins". Even then, I think the two Adelaide Pounds are harder to get than a Holey Dollar and Dump. Holey Dollars have a higher estimated survival rate (some 350 or so) than Adelaide Pound types (about 40 and 250).

Note that we're also excluding the Adelaide 5 pound coin from the list, on account of it being semi-mythical and only known from 20th century restrikes from the original dies.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
Pillar of the Community
Australia
3831 Posts
 Posted 02/27/2026  02:17 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add gxseries to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Thank you Sap for your thoughts. I didn't think the 2, 5 sovereigns and Adelaide 5 pound are meant for circulation.

I have been to a few coin shows and were fortunate enough to handle a few scarce coins (excluding patterns). That included 1813 dump and both Adelaide pound (!). I have yet to see a holey in hand (other than replicas or the modern issues). Thus I asked the question.

Or maybe I was very very lucky to see them in hand.
My partial coin collection http://www.omnicoin.com/collection/gxseries
My numismatics articles and collection: http://www.gxseries.com/numis/numis_index.htm
Regularly updated at least once a month.
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Sap's Avatar
Australia
16806 Posts
 Posted 02/27/2026  06:20 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add Sap to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
I did forget to add to the silver type set the four commemorative florins; I've just edited them into the above list. But even the most expensive of these (the 1934/5) pales in comparison to the holey dollar; all four of them are relatively easy to acquire both in time and in cost.
Don't say "infinitely" when you mean "very"; otherwise, you'll have no word left when you want to talk about something really infinite. - C. S. Lewis
Pillar of the Community
Australia
3831 Posts
 Posted 03/01/2026  07:57 am  Show Profile   Bookmark this reply Add gxseries to your friends list Get a Link to this Reply
Trying to find some recent sales and honestly... WOW

Holey
https://coinworks.com.au/An-unprece...-rang~110110

Holey and dump at noble
https://www.noble.com.au/auctions/s...rch/&p=1&c=3

Adelaide Pound
https://www.noble.com.au/auctions/s...g=&q=&e=&p=1

I guess I can put them on a dream list...
My partial coin collection http://www.omnicoin.com/collection/gxseries
My numismatics articles and collection: http://www.gxseries.com/numis/numis_index.htm
Regularly updated at least once a month.
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