1882 Gold Sovereign Melbourne – Shield

1882 Sovereign Melbourne Reverse

The 1882 Gold Sovereign - Melbourne Mint - Shield

This sovereign was made in Australia, in the Melbourne Mint. On the Reverse see there is a small 'M' below the shield;

The Reverse of the 1882 Melbourne is a shield. The 1882 Sidney Sovereign has St George on the Reverse.

The Obverse shows a young head portrait of Queen Victoria by William Wyon.

Image credit: Naomi Andrzejeski, Museums Victoria


Mintage: 2,465,781 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Melbourne Mint.
Remember 1882 ?
In UK: Monarch is Queen Victoria. Prime Minister is William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal). Holborn Viaduct power station in London becomes the world's first coal-fired public electricity generating station supplying street lighting and some other buildings. The England cricket team is beaten for the first time in a home Test by Australia; a Sporting Times reporter burns the bails refers to the "The Ashes". Lager is brewed for the first time in the UK.
In USA: US President is Chester A. Arthur (R-New York). There was no Vice-President. The first Labor Day parade is held in New York City. Thomas Edison does street lighting in America, lighting one square mile of lower Manhattan and later builds the first string of Christmas lights. Standard Oil of New Jersey is formed, renamed to Exxon in 1972. Jesse James was shot by a fellow outlaw so as to claim the reward, while Morgan Earp is killed by outlaws while playing billiards in Tombstone.
Victoria (1837-1901)
Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. Victoria ruled for 64 years, a record only recently surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II.
 
Victoria's parents were Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathern, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She married Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who later became known as Prince Albert. Victoria had nine children, the eldest son succeeding her as Edward VII.


Victoria posed for a number of head portraits, but there are generally three major variants: Young Head (1838-1887) by William Wyon, RA; Jubilee Head (1887-1893) by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm and Old Head (1893-1901) by by Sir Thomas Brock.

Category: Sovereigns
The 1882 Gold Sovereign Melbourne - Shield is an example of the Gold Sovereign and is one of the most ubiquitous of all coins and much sought after by both coin collectors and bullion investors. Sovereigns have been minted since 1817 (in Britain 1817-1917, 1925 and 1957 on). At coins fairs you often hear the dealers refer to these coins as Sovs.

Besides being minted in Britain, Sovereigns have been made in Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Perth), India (then Bombay, now Mumbai), Canada (Ottawa) and South Africa (Pretoria) although these regional mints have not made sovereigns since 1932 (although India has produced some recently in a private mint partnership with the Royal Mint). The non-British coins carry a small mintmark ('S','M','P','I','C' or 'SA') just above the date. This 1882 Gold Sovereign Melbourne - Shield was minted at The Melbourne Mint.

The Obverse is the Monarch's head (Victoria) and the Reverse is most often St George and the Dragon, although other backs have been used and are of interest to collectors. The Reverse often gives the Sovs a new term, like "ShieldBacks".

Specifications for the Gold Sovereign
 
  • Weight: 7.9881g
  • Diameter: 22.05 mm
  • Thickness: 1.52 mm
  • Purity: 22 carat = 91.67% (11/12ths gold, 1/12th copper. Adding copper makes the coin more scratch and dent resistant)
  • Gold Content: 113 grains = 7.3224 g = 0.2354 troy ounce
  • Face value: £1 = 20 shillings
  • Monarch: Victoria

History

Up until 1604 there was a coin called the English gold sovereign and in 1816 when there was the "Great Recoinage" the name was revived. At that time standard gold (22 carat) was valued at £46 14s 6d per troy pound; this meant a £1 coin needed to weigh 123.2744783 grains or 7.988030269 g. The weight is still the same today.

As a historical note: to maintain the Gold Standard, in 1816 the value of silver was set at 66 shillings for one troy pound and silver coins were only legal for denominations up to £2.

The first sovereigns carried the head of King George III and the famous George and the Dragon design by Benedetto Pistrucci (29 May 1783 – 16 September 1855), an Italian engraver who became chief medallist at the Royal Mint.

With high value coins such as the 1882 Gold Sovereign Melbourne - Shield, collectors and bullion investors often worry about forgeries but actually gold coins are very difficult to forge due to gold's unique properties of density and colour. Gold is extremely dense and to use another metal and gold-plate it would result in a coin that is under-weight, over-diameter or half as thick, something that would be spotted very easily. More difficult to spot would be a bullion coin melted down and re-cast as a highly collectable date, but an expert can usually tell these too. You should always use reputable dealers.

Which Mint: The Melbourne Mint
The Melbourne Mint, Victoria, Australia, opened around 1872 and was originally a branch of the Royal Mint in London. From 1872 to 1916 the Melbourne Mint minted only gold sovereigns, but from 1927 to 1967 it produced all Australian coins.
Country of Origin: Australia
Australia is a country and continent surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans. Australia used pounds, shillings and pence until 1966, when it adopted the decimal system with the Australian dollar divided into 100 cents. The 1oz Silver coins are a particular favourite with collectors around the World and feature the famous Australian animals such as Kookaburra, Kangeroo and Kaola.
If you don't see a coin in the list below try the Sovereigns page on eBay UK
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SCARCE 1882 M MELBOURNE SHIELD Victoria YH Full Gold Sovereign AUSTRALIA ref68
SCARCE 1882 M MELBOURNE SHIELD Victoria YH Full Gold Sovereign AUSTRALIA ref68
£ 995.00
Australia.  1882 Melbourne - St George Sovereign..  aEF/gVF - Much Lustre
Australia. 1882 Melbourne - St George Sovereign.. aEF/gVF - Much Lustre
£ 594.05
Australia 1882M Gold 1 Sovereign NGC AU53 Victoria St. George Melbourne Mint
Australia 1882M Gold 1 Sovereign NGC AU53 Victoria St. George Melbourne Mint
£ 554.26
1882-M Australia Victoria Gold Sovereign coin United Kingdom Melbourne  mint B04
1882-M Australia Victoria Gold Sovereign coin United Kingdom Melbourne mint B04
£ 665.11
Australia 1882M Gold 1 Sovereign NGC MS61 Victoria St. George Melbourne Mint
Australia 1882M Gold 1 Sovereign NGC MS61 Victoria St. George Melbourne Mint
£ 593.85
1882-M Australia Victoria Gold Sovereign coin United Kingdom Melbourne  mint
1882-M Australia Victoria Gold Sovereign coin United Kingdom Melbourne mint
£ 593.06

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