Blue Sheet > Australia> Gold> Half Sovereign> Jubilee Head > 1887-M Narrow JEB Half Sovereign

1887-M Narrow JEB Half Sovereign



A fairly short type, as far as business strikes go. The key date is the 1889S which has always been highly underrated, possibly because of catalogues not publishing a mintage figure for this date, which traditionally has been used as a gauge of rarity, despite Royal Mint reports indicating a mintage of 32,000 (Marsh, M, A, 2004). Its rarity was only revealed at Reserve Bank of Australia sale, which had so few quality examples available (Downies, 2005). Even now, in the rare chance that they turn up, many dealers let them pass through their bullion piles - something worth looking out for considering this date is quite a degree rarer than the 1930 Penny.

There are many dates within the series only available as patterns which would disappoint many date set collectors, most of which have simply learnt to skip those dates. The mintage figures for the two 1891 Sydney types are combined, while mintage figures for 1887 types are all inclusive of every other type including Young Head types. The 1893 Melbourne mintage is possibly shared with Old Head type sharing the same date however there are only 5 known business strikes of the Old Head type.

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Contents
Mintage
Reverse Designer
J. B. Merlen
Obverse Designer
Sir J. E. Boehm
AGW
0.1177 oz
Size
19 mm
Composition
91.67% Gold
8.33% Copper
Bullion Value
$190.35
Reverse
Reverse

Obverse
Obverse

Valuation
Typical Handled: $195  
This valuation represents a typical handled example of the coin. Coins in better condition will command a substantial premium over the listed price. For example, an average 1911 florin is worth around $50, but in choice uncirculated condition is worth about $15,000! To view valuations in higher grades, please click here to subscribe.  

Glossary
  • business strike - A coin struck for circulation
  • key date - A difficult date to acquire in any grade, hence being the key to a series
  • mintage - The number of coins struck of a particular designation

Numismatic Glossary - View the full glossary of numismatic terms.

References
  • Marsh, M, A, 2004. 'Jubilee Half-Sovereigns of Victoria (Sydney Mint : Mint Mark S)'. The Gold Half-Sovereign. pp 39
  • Downies, 2005. 'Australian Half Sovereigns'. The Auction of the Gold Coins of the Reserve Bank of Australia. pp 53

References - View full bibliography

Index