Object Based Learning

Gold Sovereign

Description:

The first Australian gold sovereign was minted in 1855 in the Sydney mint. The AHM000255 sovereign was minted in 1867 and was designed by Leonard Charles Wyon. The obverse is engraved with a bust of Queen Victoria and around the edges is written "VICTORIA D:G: BRITANNIAR: REG: F: D: 1867". The Reverse side shows a banksia wreath topped by a royal crown, and encircling the word "AUSTRALIA", around the edge is written "SYDNEY MINT. ONE SOVEREIGN". Both the reverse and obverse show a thin rim/ raised border. This design continued until 1870 when the Sydney Mint reverted to the reverse imperial shield design and St George reverse sovereigns.

Gold Sovereign Obverse & Reverse

Details

Title:
Gold Sovereign
Collection:
Macquarie University History Museum
Url:
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Tags:
Western Imperialism in the 19th Century,The Frontier in Australia,Goldrush,Australia,
Fields:
Modern History (Year 11 & 12)
Accession
AHM000255
Creator
Sydney Mint
Period
19th Century
Date
1867
Provenance
Sydney, Australia
Material/s
Gold
Dimensions
2.15cm (w)
Source
AHM, Macquarie University
Classification
Coin

Resources

  • Atkins, J (1889) The Coins and Tokens of the Possessions and Colonies of the British Empire Bernard Quaritch, London
  • Hanley, T and James, B (1966) Collecting Australian Coins Murray.
  • McDonald, G (2013) The Pocketbook Guide to Australian Coins and Banknotes Greg McDonald Publishing and Numismatics Pty Limited
  • Rees, P. (2016) Inside the Vault; The History and Art of Australian Coinage NewSouth Publishing

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Cite This Page

Macquarie University History Museum (2024). Gold Sovereign, AHM000255. //sveltekit-prerender/artefacts/gold_sovereign/ (accessed on: Tue Apr 16 2024).

Rights & Permissions

We support the open release of data and information about our collections. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.