Sydney Mint - Alternate Reverse Half Sovereign Values

Half Sovereign

Sydney Mint Alternate Reverse (1856)

The alternate reverse 1856 half sovereign, also commonly referred to as a

Pattern

A coin struck as a representation piece of a coin that never eventuated

pattern, features a slightly different

Reverse

The tails side of the coin

reverse design.

Below is an enlarged representation of the lower-left quadrant of the alternate wreath, to the left, and the standard wreath, to the right.

Left: Lower-left quadrant of an 1856 alternate reverse half sovereign
Right: Lower-left quadrant of an 1856 normal reverse half sovereign
Enlarged 2x

Note the difference in the wreath, with only one berry before 'H' of 'HALF' and no berry above the 'L'.

This example was previously only known by 1 example which was a part of the Quartermaster collection (Monetarium, 2009) however the Reserve Bank of Australia sale offered 3 further examples bringing the total count to 4 (Downies, 2005) although these 3 were all in lower grades.

Note: A fifth, lower grade example has since surfaced.

Contents

Business Strikes
Glossary
References
Index

Reverse Designer

L. C. Lyon

Obverse Designer

James Lyon

AGW

0.1177 oz

Size

19 mm

Composition

91.67% Gold
8.33% Silver

Bullion Value

$189.48

Reverse

Obverse

Business Strikes
Coin	Mintage	Average Circulated
1856 Alternate Reverse	Notes about Mintage Mintage figure combined with: 1856 Sydney Mint Type I Half Sovereign 1856/5 Overdate Sydney Mint Type I Half Sovereign 4 known examples of this type 478,000	$5000

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The values listed here are for average examples of the date. Coins in better condition will be worth many times the values listed here. 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

pattern - A coin struck as a representation piece of a coin that never eventuated
reverse - The tails side of the coin

Numismatic Glossary - View the full glossary of numismatic terms.

References

Monetarium, 2009. 'Australian, Sydney Mint, Type I Gold Full Sovereigns'. The Quartermaster Collection. pp 38-51
Downies, 2005. 'Australian Half Sovereigns'. The Auction of the Gold Coins of the Reserve Bank of Australia. pp 36

References - View full bibliography