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:
 | 1x 2026 Full Sovereign 22ct Gold Coin King Charles III £ 863.50 |
 | 1923 PERTH MINT KING GEORGE V 22ct GOLD FULL SOVEREIGN £ 949.18 |
 | Half Sovereign 22ct Gold Coin - Mixed Years | CGT Exempt - GC in Capsule £ 449.99 |
 | 2004 Gold Proof Half Sovereign £ 495.88 |
 | 1/8 Sovereign King George V Gold Proof Coin 22 CT 1 Gram Royal Mint £ 151.50 |
 | Rare 2018 Victoria Cross Gold Quarter Sovereign 22ct *Special Edition* £ 271.10 |
 | 2016 Full Gold Proof Sovereign £ 1,199.08 |
 | 1982 UK Gold Half Sovereign Elizabeth II St George Bullion Coin £ 496.30 |
 | 1910 Full Gold Sovereign Edward VII – St George Reverse – London Mint £ 863.50 |
 | 1988 Gold Proof Half Sovereign - Royal Mint Box & COA - Sigma Verified rare coin £ 599.99 |
 | 1981 Full Gold Sovereign Coin 22ct QEII Bullion £ 873.70 |
 | 2012 QUEEN ELIZABETH II FULL GOLD SOVEREIGN £ 883.90 |
 | King William IV £1 Sovereign Gold Coin 1832 £ 1,026.70 |
 | 2009 Gold Quarter Sovereign Coin Watch – Limited Edition (1 of 450) Certificate £ 516.70 |
 | 1891 London mint Victoria Jubilee Head Gold Full Sovereign - Beautiful condition £ 1,128.70 |
 | 2002 Gold Proof Half Sovereign Boxed | 22ct Gold | 4 Grams Certificate 05319 £ 924.70 |
 | 1980 Gold Proof Full Sovereign Coin, Box and COA Royal Mint (UK) £ 975.70 |
 | 1888 Full Gold Sovereign Queen Victoria. St George On The Face. £ 868.60 |
 | King Edward 1937 Sovereign 1/1000 Oz .999 Gold Coin 2024 £ 48.98 |
 | 22ct 1/10th Gold Full Sovereign Coin Prince William And Princess Catherine £ 149.99 |