At the Midlands coin fair last week (June 2016), I was lucky enough to see a 2005 Perth Prospector Collection which I thought was fantastic. It was different from the rest and very unusual.
The 2005 Perth Prospector Collection consists of a Gold 1oz Prospector Nugget Coin, a 1905 Perth Mint Sovereign and 1/4oz natural gold nuggets, beautifully packaged in a wooden box.
The set is part of a series of collections that celebrates the discovery of the Welcome Stranger nugget. Found in Victoria in 1869, it is the largest nugget ever found, weighing in at a whopping 2,284oz. At the time it was estimated to be worth £9,381. Today a nugget of that size would fetch about £2.7 million.
The 1oz coin depicts the Welcome Stranger nugget together with some early Australian prospectors and their prospecting techniques. There is some red colours added to the coin. The obverse shows Queen Elizabeth II and is legal tender with a denomination of Aus$100.
The 1905 Sovereign has a ‘P’ mintmark signifying the Perth Mint. The obverse is King Edward VII and the reverse is the classic George and the Dragon by Bernedetto Pistrucci.
Only 150 of these sets were authorised, so the set is probably quite difficult to find. I hadn’t thought about it before but I was told that it’s also difficult to buy gold nuggets.
My thanks to Max Hughes (MJ Hughes Coins) for allowing me to photograph the set. The set was sold at the show.
On eBay UK:
 | 2015 Gold Half Sovereign Coin Brilliant Uncirculated Bullion RARE £ 409.62 |
 | FULL HALF 1/10 St George Sovereign-Size RING 9ct YELLOW GOLD Coin Dragon Slayer £ 369.90 |
 | The Royal Mint 2009 UK Quarter - Sovereign Gold Bullion Coin £ 250.32 |
 | 2018 - Solid 24 ct Gold Proof Coin - QEII - Niue - British Sovereigns - Free P&P £ 70.40 |
 | Solid 22ct Gold Full Sovereign Coin 1899 - Queen Victoria with 9ct Gold Pendant £ 700.00 |
 | The Royal Mint® 1912 George V Half Sovereign 22ct 916.7 Fine Gold Bullion Coin £ 316.00 |
 | 1959 Full Sovereign British Coin Queen Elizabeth II 22ct Gold £ 620.00 |
 | 2024 Gold Half Sovereign £ 302.32 |
 | 2018 Sapphire 1/4 Gold Sovereign £ 208.72 |
 | 1980 Royal Mint Gold PROOF Half Sovereign with CoA £ 322.92 |
 | 2002 QUEEN ELIZABETH II FULL PROOF GOLD SOVEREIGN COIN £ 629.94 |
 | Gold Quarter Sovereign Coins- Minted 2024, 36 Pieces £ 177.52 |
 | 2018 - Solid 24 ct Gold Proof Coin - QEII - Niue - British Sovereigns - Free P&P £ 70.40 |
 | 9ct Yellow Gold Round Coin Sovereign Ring Gold Filled CZ Stones - All Sizes £ 24.64 |
 | Rare 1876 Douro Cargo Gold Sovereign £ 950.22 |
 | 2018 - Solid 24 ct Gold Proof Coin - QEII - Niue - British Sovereigns - Free P&P £ 70.40 |
 | Bullion Gold Half Sovereign Best Value £ 317.48 |
 | 1821 Gold Sovereign - George IV Laureate Head £ 1,842.72 |
 | Queen Victoria - 1899 Gold Sovereign £ 924.71 |
 | 9ct Yellow Gold on Silver Sovereign Coin Ring - ALL SIZES AVAILABLE inc LARGE £ 29.95 |