Celebrating our first sovereign

The Perth Mint opened on 20 June 1899 to manufacture sovereigns from Western Australian gold, establishing an immediate reputation for the quality and accuracy of its coins. Marking the 125th anniversary of the first sovereign off the press, our commemorative 2024 Australia Sovereign bears a beautifully re-imagined portrayal of the historic piece’s famous St George and the Dragon design.

Original Perth Mint sovereign

Dated 1899, the traditional sovereign is from a mintage of 690,992 coins produced by The Perth Mint in its first year of manufacturing. Portraying Benedetto Pistrucci’s classical St George and the Dragon, the reverse also incorporates the coin’s year-date and a traditional ‘P’ mintmark.

The coin’s obverse depicts the Sir Thomas Brock effigy of Queen Victoria.