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1/2 Sovereign - Victoria Pattern
| Issuer | Sydney Mint |
|---|---|
| Year | 1853 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1/2 Sovereign |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Weight | Log in to see details |
| Diameter | Log in to see details |
| Thickness | Log in to see details |
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| Technique | Log in to see details |
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| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | Log in to see details |
|---|---|
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| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | At the centre of the field, the word AUSTRALIA is displayed beneath a royal crown, the whole enclosed within a wreath of laurel branches tied at the base. The legend SYDNEY MINT arcs above the crowned device, while HALF SOVEREIGN is inscribed below the wreath in the lower field. The design is clean and heraldic in character, framed by a continuous beaded border. |
| Reverse script | Log in to see details |
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| Edge | Log in to see details |
| Mint | Log in to see details |
| Mintage | 1853 |
| Additional information |
Only a handful of pattern half sovereigns were struck at Sydney Mint in 1853 as the colonial authorities lobbied London for permission to produce fractional gold coinage alongside the full sovereign already in production. That permission was ultimately refused, and Sydney never struck half sovereigns for circulation — making this pattern a dead end in Australian monetary history rather than a prototype for anything that followed.