In 1857, the Sydney mint introduced a wreathed bust type
Obverse
The heads side of the coin
obverse, designed by Leonard Wyon with the
Legend
The inscription around the inner edge of the coin
legend 'VICTORIA D : G: BRITANNIAR : REG : F : D :' (Victoria by the Grace of God Queen of Britain, Defender of the Faith). This design would be used on half sovereigns up until 1869 after which the Sydney mint reverted to the Young Head
Obverse
The heads side of the coin
obverse and Shield
Reverse
The tails side of the coin
reverse, consistent with Imperial half sovereigns.
The series features a number of varieties and
Overdate
A coin with a numeral in the date punched or tooled over another numeral
overdates which illustrate the struggles faced in the early days of the Sydney
Mint
a facility that produces coins
mint and unlike their imperial counterparts, Sydney mint half sovereigns were struck on a gold-silver alloy
Planchet
The piece of metal a coin is struck on
planchet resulting in a higher
Scrap value
The base metal value of a coin
scrap value and consequently were frequently melted failing to alleviate the currency shortage in the colony at the time and leading to the general scarcity of the series.
