Australia Sovereign, Coin Type from Australia - detailed information

The Perth Mint’s annual Australia Sovereign (also called the Australian Sovereign) is a prestigious 22-carat gold coin featuring a design inspired by historic sovereigns made at the Sydney Mint between 1855 and 1866. 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 London versions by a specially prepared "colonial" design. A testament to the skill of Australia’s early minters, these highly successful issues continue to attract significant interest among modern collectors.

The coin has the same specifications as the British gold sovereign. The Perth Mint was a branch of the Royal Mint from its foundation in 1899 until 1970, when it was transferred to the government of Western Australia; it produced Imperial (pre-decimal) sovereigns between 1899 and 1931.

In 2009, the mint revived the format - initially with a design featuring the Coat of Arms of Australia, then with a replica of the reverse of the Australian Sovereign issued by the Sydney Mint between 1853 and 1870.