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:
 | 2025 Gold Half Sovereign Coin - King Charles III - The Royal Mint (5 Available) £ 505.00 |
 | Gold Sovereign coin Uncirculated £ 955.30 |
 | Royal Mint UK GOLD PROOF SOVEREIGN 1979 to 2026 - Choose your year £ 1,225.00 |
 | 1995 Gold Proof Half Sovereign Coin £ 598.90 |
 | 1902 Edward VII: Gold-Plated Half-Sovereign Coin: MODERN MUSEUM SPECIMEN £ 3.45 |
 | 1912 George Half Sovereign 22ct Gold Coin £ 475.90 |
 | Set of 3 British Gold Half Sovereigns (1897, 1898, 1906) £ 1,450.00 |
 | George V 22ct Solid Gold Full Sovereign London 1913 in good condition £ 950.20 |
 | Bullion Gold Half Sovereign Best Value £ 521.96 |
 | 1891 Full Gold Sovereign £ 980.80 |
 | 1982 Gold Half Sovereign NGC PF69 Ultra Cameo Proof Coin £ 557.50 |
 | 2022 Gold Full Sovereign Coin KingCharles III Queen Elizabeth II Memorial £ 975.70 |
 | Gold Bullion Quarter Sovereign 2026 £ 300.00 |
 | Rare Unseen Effigy of Elizabeth II. Pure Gold Sovereign Set of 7 Decades £ 614.57 |
 | 18ct Gold Plated Full Soverighn Mount Pendant With Copy Sovereign. £ 37.10 |
 | Elizabeth 1/2 Sovereign Coin 22ct 9ct Gold Ring Mount, Goldmine Jewellers £ 975.70 |
 | 1910 Gold Half Sovereign Edward VII Coin £ 516.70 |
 | 1968 Full Gold sovereign 22ct Solid Gold £ 1,001.20 |
 | 1937 King George VI Half Sovereign set in Gold Plated Tibetan Necklace £ 208.70 |
 | 1/8th One Eighth 22ct Gold Sovereign Coin - 1g - 2023 - Lord Nelson Tribute Coin £ 182.70 |