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 Full Sovereign £ 873.70 |
 | 1862 Queen Victoria Full Gold Sovereign - Young Head / Shield Back - 22ct Gold £ 910.00 |
 | Full Gold Sovereign coin 22ct 1896 Ldn Mint £ 822.70 |
 | Half gold sovereign coin 1896 22ct Victoria Veiled Head £ 445.30 |
 | 1908 & 1910 Edward VII Gold 1/2 Sovereign Coin x2 £ 860.00 |
 | UK Jubilee Mint 2015 Solid 22ct Full Gold Sovereign Coin 7.98gms Queen Elizabeth £ 853.30 |
 | 1869 Queen Victoria Full Gold Sovereign - Young Head / Shield Back £ 925.00 |
 | 1913 King George v Gold Half Sovereign Coin, 3.99g, 22ct £ 435.10 |
 | Scarce 1980 Proof Full Gold Sovereign With Original Box & Certificate (7.99g) £ 873.70 |
 | 1968 QE2 Full Gold Sovereign £ 801.28 |
 | 1871-S Sydney Mint Gold Sovereign – PCGS AU58 £ 1,077.70 |
 | Best Coin tube for gold full sovereign coin, old round £1 coin, Coinsafe £ 7.80 |
 | 1968 Full Gold Sovereign Queen Elizabeth II Coin 22 Ct Yellow Gold £ 848.20 |
 | 1822 George IV Gold Sovereign 22ct Gold Early Sovereign Rare Date Historic Coin £ 1,281.69 |
 | Queen Victoria 22ct Gold Sovereign Coin 1886 D.G. Britanniar Melbourne Preloved £ 1,000.00 |
 | 1982 Half Sovereign Gold Coin Ring, 22ct £ 496.30 |
 | 1895 M Queen Victoria Full Gold Sovereign £ 801.28 |
 | 1981 QE2 Full Gold Sovereign £ 801.28 |
 | 1887 Victoria Gold Sovereign Jubilee Head London Mint EF 7.98g Coin £ 919.60 |
 | Rare Royal Mint 2009 Gold bullion Proof Half Sovereign Coin sigma verified £ 501.13 |