The Perth Mint has started accepting orders for the 2013 Australian Sovereign Gold Proof Coin. This represents the fifth annual release since the Perth Mint resumed production of the gold coins bearing the sovereign title.
The discovery of gold in the colony of New South Wales led to the establishment of the Sydney branch of the Royal Mint, which opened in 1855. The Sydney Mint would produce its first gold sovereign on June 23, 1855. For the next 76 years, more than 400 million sovereigns were minted at the Australian Mints located in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth from locally mined gold. During this period, the Perth Mint alone produced more than 106 million of the coins. After a 78 year hiatus, production of the famous gold coins resumed in 2009 with proof quality examples struck for collectors in limited mintages.
The 2013 Australian Sovereign represents a modern adaptation of the original Sydney Mint Sovereign. The reverse portrays St. Edward’s crown, the central inscription “AUSTRALIA”, and a laurel wreath, which are all historic elements of Leonard Charles Wyon’s original Type 1 reverse. The design is completed with the additional inscriptions “PERTH MINT”, “SOVEREIGN”, and the “P” mint mark.
The obverse design contains the Ian Rank-Broadley effigy of Queen Elizabeth II, the monetary denomination, and the “2013” date.
Each coin is struck in a composition of 91.67% gold with a weight of 7.9881 grams and diameter of 22.60 mm. The gold content per coin is 0.2354 troy ounces. The Perth Mint has indicated a limited mintage of 1,750 pieces.
This coin and other new releases can be found in the Perth Mint website recent releases section.
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