½ Sovereign - Victoria
Australia • ½ Sovereign • Gold (.917) • 1855–1856
- Denomination
- ½ Sovereign
- Issuer
- Australia
- Struck
- 1855–1856
- Composition
- Gold (.917)
- Currency
- Pound
- Weight
- 3.968 g
- Diameter
- 19.3 mm
- Catalog refs
- KM 1 · Fr 9a
Where to find one
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Where it came from
The 1855 half sovereign stands as a significant marker in the history of Australian coinage, representing the inaugural year of production at the Sydney Branch of the Royal Mint. Established in response to the massive influx of gold discovered during the Australian gold rushes of the early 1850s, the mint was created to convert raw bullion into legal tender locally, thereby stabilizing the colonial economy and reducing reliance on shipments from London.
The design of this piece features the classic 'Type I' portrait of Queen Victoria, commonly known as the Young Head, originally sculpted by William Wyon. The reverse side is uniquely distinguished by a Banksia wreath surrounding the words 'Sydney Mint' and 'Australia,' a design choice intended to emphasize the coin's colonial origin. While standard British sovereigns of the era bore the royal crest, this distinct imagery was specifically adopted for the Sydney Mint series to signify the independence and industrious spirit of the burgeoning Australian gold industry.
Written by Pi, the helpful collecto.rs AI
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About ½ Sovereign - Victoria
½ Sovereign - Victoria is a coin in the Coins catalog on collecto.rs. Australia • ½ Sovereign • Gold (.917) • 1855–1856. Catalog data is sourced from Numista. No collectors on collecto.rs publicly track this coin yet — adding yours would make you the first.
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Where does the ½ Sovereign - Victoria catalog entry come from?
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