Half Sovereign

Another slight variation to the 1873-1875 series which features more intricate hairline detail on the

Obverse

The heads side of the coin

 

obverse best distinguished with a wide ribbon, this issue is possibly a pattern or test striking with under 50 examples known, 9 of which originated from the Reserve Bank Sale (Downies, 2005). The finest example at the RBA Sale was graded EF and realized just over $7000 (Downies, 2005). Other than this piece one finer example sold at the Quartermaster Auction (Monetarium, 2009) and one other example has appeared on the market since the RBA sale which was graded good VF, which sold for about $2,000 in 2007. Note that the

Mintage

The number of coins struck of a particular designation

 

mintage figure of 80,016 is combined with the narrow ribbon type.