Significant privy mark

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’.

Celebratory design with 95 privy mark

With the name of the mint suitably amended, the commemorative coin’s high relief design incorporates a privy mark inscription of the number ‘95’. A highly significant inclusion for royal watchers, it represents the age of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her recent birthday – a remarkable achievement by Britain’s longest-lived monarch.

This Sovereign has been struck with an extra-deep blank to showcase its superbly detailed design in high relief. Additionally, with its extra-thick planchet, this coin is reminiscent of traditional ‘piedforts’ (pronounced pee-ay-fore), which take their name from the French words for ‘heavy weight’.