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.

Obverse

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

Reverse

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.

Specification

Metal	Gold
Weight / Size	Full
Gold Weight Troy Ounces	0.235
Fineness / Carat	0.917 / 22
Issue Limit	7,500
Date	2005
Obverse Designer	Ian Rank-Broadley
Reverse Designer	Leonard Charles Wyon
Issuing Monarch	Elizabeth II (1952-2022)
Mint / Brand	Perth Mint
Country	Australia

2024 Christmas Opening Hours and Despatch Dates

General

Tuesday 24th December 2024 - Phone lines 9:30 - 14:00 (Last showroom appointment 12:00pm - Collections Only).
Wednesday 25th December 2024 - Wednesday 1st January 2025 - Closed (Urgent enquiries will still be answered during this time).
Thursday 2nd January 2025 - Normal Business Hours.
All orders placed between Friday 20th December 2024 and Wednesday 1st January 2025 will be despatched between 2nd - 5th January 2025.

Hatton Garden

Closed 20th December 2024 - 5th January 2025 inclusive.

Christmas Despatch 2024

Last despatch date for UKSTANDARD orders in time for Christmas – Monday 16th December.
Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders over £5,000 in time for Christmas – Thursday 19th December.
Last despatch date for UKSPECIAL orders below £5,000 in time for Christmas & UKSTANDARDS orders not in time for Christmas – Friday 20th December.

Internationals

Last despatch date for international orders in time for Christmas – Monday 2nd December.
Last despatch date for all internationals – Monday 16th December.

Distance Buy-Ins

Distance Buy Ins (DBI) – Last despatch date for DBI packaging – Packaging shipped out Monday 16th to arrive with customer Tuesday 17th to be collected by DPD Wednesday 18th to arrive with us Thursday 19th.

New Year

First despatch date in the New Year – Thursday 2nd January 2025.

Delivery Information

We aim to dispatch orders within 48 hours of receiving cleared funds. Our standard delivery methods are as follows.

Orders over £60 - Fully Insured Delivery.

Within the UK and BFPO - Next day fully insured and tracked. Delivery starts from £6.

Orders under £60

Within the UK and BFPO - Royal Mail 2nd Class. Your order will normally arrive within 2-3 working days. Delivery starts from £3.50.

If you wish to have your order sent by an alternative method (e.g., Saturday Guaranteed) please contact +441253343081 for more information. Please note, we will not dispatch high value orders over a bank holiday weekend.

For international delivery, please check with your local customs office for more information on custom duty and taxes.

Full delivery information can be found by clicking here.

Postal Insurance

We offer fully insured delivery on all special delivery options. We do need to pass on the cost of this insurance as it soon adds up shipping high value gold and silver products.

Orders under £1500 there is no additional fee.
Orders over £1500 we charge a fee in order to cover the increasing costs of insurance. For every £1500 we apply a £1 fee.

If you require any assistance, please do not hesitate to call the showroom on +441253343081 and one of our team can discuss your purchase.

Terms of Sale - Key Points

You can find more information on payment and identification requirements.

Bullion coins are provided as is and on occasion may have some minor scratches or edge knocks. These are not regarded as faulty or damaged goods as their precious metal content and value as a bullion coin is not affected. Any coin sold for a value less than a 180% intrinsic is considered a bullion coin.

Gold investment products are VAT free. Silver investment products are inclusive of VAT at the current rate unless otherwise stated.

All investment products are based on the live precious metal price. Prices will be fixed once the item has been added to the basket and recalculates just before checking out.

If your product is not a graded coin and is considered a bullion item, it should be noted that these are bought and sold on low premiums over their precious metal content and not solely for aesthetic purposes; therefore, some products may have edge knocks and/or marks. These edge knocks and marks do not alter the specifications of the coins.

Please note that all investment products are exempt from the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 and therefore customers do not have the right to cancel their order once the order has been accepted. If customers no longer wish to go ahead with their investment purchase, there is an option to sell the products back to Chard (1964) Ltd instead. View our current buy back prices.

View our full Terms & Conditions.

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2005 Gold Proof Australia Sovereign With Book - Perth Mint