2005 Commemorative Proof Sovereign

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Australian Sovereign 2005

An exclusive gold coin minted in 2005 in top quality 22ct gold proof and weighing 1/4 Oz, to mark the 150th anniversary of the first Australian Sovereigns.

The reverse of the coin bears the reworked original reverse of Leonard Charles Wyon's 1855 Type I Sovereign. The motif symbolically combines the crown of St. Edward, a laurel wreath and the inscription "AUSTRALIA". The design includes the inscriptions "SYDNEY MINT" and "ONE SOVEREIGN". The coin is issued as legal tender under the 1965 Australian Code.
The permission to mint its own coins in Australia came about after the discovery of gold deposits in New South Wales and the subsequent opening of the Royal Mint in Sydney. The new mint began minting Sovereign and Half Sovereign currency from locally mined gold in 1855. The new coins were of the same weight and fineness as in Britain, but did not carry an imperial motif. The new colonial type was created by Leonard Charles Wyon, ending a number of traditions. Wyon's design consisted of a St. Edward's crown and laurel wreath, accompanied by the inscription "SYDNEY MINT" and the denomination "ONE SOVEREIGN" (no denomination was given on imperial types at the time). The inscription "AUSTRALIA" was the most striking. Australia was then a mere colony and did not gain its independence from the United Kingdom until half a century later.
Therefore, to ensure that the quality and purity of the newly minted coins did not compromise the reputation of the British currency, their validity was initially restricted to Australia only. The quality of the "Australian" Sovereigns has endured, and this was also behind the demise of their own colonial design. After 1870 it was replaced by the classic imperial type.
The Double Sovereign, with a face value of two pounds, appeared in Britain during the 1820s. With an imperial design, St George fighting a dragon, by Benedetto Pistruccio, it was only struck twice in Australia - in 1887 and 1902.

The obverse shows a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Jody Clark with the initials "JC" and the inscriptions "ELIZABETH II", "AUSTRALIA" the year of issue and the denomination.

The coin comes in deluxe packaging along with a numbered certificate of authenticity in a limited edition of only 7,500 pieces for the entire world!