Collecting sovereigns

Dennis88

Hello everyone,

I need some help. On monday, I won my first gold soverein with an essay competition on the lightside (It was second price). I haven't received the coin yet, but I got images. It is an australian 1893M with the jubilee head, very nice in my opinion.

When I like this coin (I think so, it is also my first old gold coin, except for bullion), what are the possibilities to collect these??? I prefer a type set, but I have no idea wich coins I should include...Only the Australians, or also from other country's???? And what's the hardest design in a type set??

Thanks,

Dennis

Vancouverite

Hey Dennis,

I would start out just with Australia for a type set since the very first sovereigns were minted in 1489. Also you would have to deal with all the different mint marks and possibly other variations like the 15 rupee denominated 1918 India sovereign. If you want to collect Australian sovereigns you only have to deal with less than a dozen types. The following site has pictures and informationof the different types:
Collecting the Australia Gold Sovereign


All the Saint George and shield types should probably be obtainable at a percentage over bullion unless you want nice uncirculated examples. The wreath sovereigns should be the hardest design in the type set (especially the type 1) which I can't find on eBay anywhere. (The Adelaide Pound which is really a token will probably be really hard to obtain.)

Lloyd

The Adelaide pound would cost you $20,000 with a hole in it.

I think also it's important to clarify something here. That is not an Australian coin that Dennis has. It's a British coin which was minted in Australia. The coins were minted near to the gold fields so there wasn't a zillion dollars worth of raw bullion on the Seven Seas. A good example is the Pretoria mint in South Africa.

L

Cruzi

Australian Sovereigns will send you poor really quickly if looking for good examples, the Adelaide Pound, ( which was a coin albeit found to be illegal after the fact ) which has Type I and Type II, will leave you no change out of $50,000, then there is the Type I and Type II Sydney Mint Sovereigns, again no change out of $30,000.

During the years that Imperial sovereigns were made in Australia, ( Australian because they were circulating legal tender throughout the Empire, including Australia, or not Australian for the same reason.), some of the rarest coins were made.

Sovereigns can be beguiling but choose your collection carefully, a date set can be made for little more than bullion or even just a date set for a monarch or portrait.

Even just deciding on a portrait and getting every coin can be affordable and challenging, Jubilee and Veiled heads are good series to try for this.
One from each mint can be a bit of a challenge, and depending on grade can suit most budgets.

One of each type from each mint, of each reverse & obverse is a lifetime project.

Some more links:

My Sovs

Brief History

Australian Gold

Mint Marks

Andrew Crellin's Articles

Chards UK

KJC's Coins Articles

Makarovii

Thanks for the links Cruzi. I may have to go look for a Sov or two in Long Beach and tell the better half they are birthday presents from her!

ColinCMR

A very interesting bunch of coins!