Distinguished sovereigns

As the first overseas branch of Britain’s Royal Mint, the Sydney Mint was opened in 1855 to make sovereign coins from Australian gold. For the first 11 years they were distinguished from Imperial issues made in London by a specially prepared ‘colonial’ design featuring St. Edward’s crown, a laurel wreath and the inscriptions ‘SYDNEY MINT’ and ‘AUSTRALIA’.

Jubilee embellishments

With the name of the mint suitably amended, this commemorative sovereign’s design incorporates a platinum-plated representation of St Edward's Crown and a small '70' numeric privy mark, offering Australian monarchists an exclusive way to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne in 1952.