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:
 | Gold Sovereign King Charles III 2024 Royal Mint £ 598.32 |
 | 1989 RM 500th Anniversary Half Sovereign Gold Proof Coin AGW 3.66 g BOX COA £ 567.72 |
 | 1989 Gold Proof Half Sovereign with box and COA £ 542.22 |
 | 1963 Full Gold Sovereign queen Elizabeth ii £ 598.32 |
 | 1868 Gold Victoria Full Sovereign shieldback £ 669.72 |
 | 1887 Queen Victoria Double Sovereign £2 Gold Coin £ 1,434.72 |
 | 1964 Elizabeth II Gold Sovereign Coin. £ 649.32 |
 | 1909 22ct Gold Full Sovereign Coin Bullion - London Mint - Edward VII £ 618.72 |
 | 2022 22ct Gold Quarter Sovereign King George VI Tribute Proof Hatton Issue 2g £ 187.87 |
 | 1901p Gold Victoria veiled head Full Sovereign - Perth mint £ 639.12 |
 | 2017 Elizabeth II Proof Gold Full Sovereign with box and COA 200th Anniversary £ 895.00 |
 | 2013 Proof Full Gold Sovereign Elizabeth II Fourth Portrait £ 664.62 |
 | 2021 22ct Gold Coin Quarter Sovereign RNLI Lifeboats Harrington & Byrne £ 187.87 |
 | 2023 King Charles III Coronation Full Sovereign Gold Proof Coin PF70 Graded £ 750.00 |
 | 1905 Gold Half Sovereign Edward VII George & Dragon back - London (no mint mark) £ 333.12 |
 | 2025 One Eighth Sovereign 22ct solid Victory gold coin - CHARLES III - VE Day £ 110.96 |
 | 1864 Gold Victoria Full Sovereign shieldback £ 664.62 |
 | 1865 Gold Victoria Full Sovereign shieldback - scarce £ 695.22 |
 | 2025 80th Anniversary Of VE Day Solid 24ct Gold Proof £5 Coin Sovereign COA £ 77.99 |
 | Royal Mint 2010 GOLD PROOF QUARTER SOVEREIGN Limited Edition 22Ct £ 200.00 |