2005 Gold Proof Australia Sovereign With Book - Perth Mint

2005 Gold Proof Australia Sovereign With Book - Perth Mint

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Australia's first sovereign, The Perth Mint has meticulously re-crafted the distinctive 'colonial' reverse of the Sydney Mint Type 1 sovereign on this 2005-dated Australian legal tender gold coin.

Each 2005 Commemorative Sovereign comes with the book Australia's Sovereigns. Written by sovereign specialist Andrew Crellin, this invaluable historical reference provides fascinating information about the many obverse and reverse designs that appeared on sovereigns produced from Australian gold by the Sydney, Melbourne and Perth branches of the Royal Mint between 1855 and 1931. Packed with illustrations and invaluable hints and tips for collectors, it also incorporates a numbered Certificate of Authenticity and is protected within a stylised outer sleeve.

The Perth Mint released just 7,500 of these beautiful books with the 2005 Commemorative Sovereigns

Australia's First Sovereign

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Australia's first sovereign, The Perth Mint has meticulously re-crafted the distinctive 'colonial' reverse of the Sydney Mint Type 1 sovereign on this 2005-dated Australian legal tender gold coin.

The historic significance of this unique commemorative will not be lost on collectors aware of the original coin's momentous impact on world coinage in 1855. Until then, London's Royal Mint was the sole producer of legal tender for Britain and her vast Empire.

But the discovery of gold in New South Wales in 1851 set in motion a train of events that led to the creation of the Royal Mint's first colonial branch. Empowered to produce sovereigns from Australian gold, the Sydney Mint, together with its junior siblings in Melbourne and Perth, went on to strike more than 400 million sovereigns prior to 1932.

The Perth Mint's tribute to the extremely rare Sydney Mint Type 1 sovereign is produced from the same purity of gold as the 1855 coin. Its flawless proof finish, strictly limited mintage and magnificent presentation packaging add further allure to this extremely collectable release.

The coin's obverse bears the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the denomination and the 2005 year-date.

Leonard Charles Wyon's historic Type 1 reverse, which depicts St Edward's crown and a laurel wreath, is reproduced on the new sovereign. Like the original coin, it includes other design elements that have long fascinated numismatists and historians. The inclusion of the denomination ONE SOVEREIGN was a radical departure from the traditional Imperial design. Likewise, the words SYDNEY MINT and AUSTRALIA had never been seen before - the latter referring to a geographical concept of the 19th century rather than an independent nation.