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:
 | Bullion Gold Half Sovereign Best Value £ 433.89 |
 | 1852 Victoria Sovereign Gold Coin Shield Reverse £ 895.00 |
 | Gold Sovereign Best Value Gold Coin £ 864.15 |
 | Gold 2018 Half Sovereign Coin 22ct Defending Our Skies *RARE* £ 569.74 |
 | 22ct Full Gold Sovereign Coin 1887 Victoria Jubilee Head £ 895.00 |
 | Double Gold Sovereign 2025 £ 1,909.99 |
 | Royal Mint Half-Sovereign first Gold half Sovereign £ 669.70 |
 | 1901 S Australia Sydney Full Sovereign 0.9170 Fineness Gold 7.9881g NGC MS 61 £ 950.00 |
 | Edward VII 1910 Gold half Sovereign Coin St George & Dragon Reverse £ 435.10 |
 | 2022 Gold 1/8 Sovereign, QEII Tribute, (Hattons), with COA £ 110.00 |
 | 2026 Gold Quarter Sovereign 22ct £ 239.99 |
 | Dated 1927 21ct Gold Full Sovereign J21 "RESTRIKE" scrap or collect £ 771.70 |
 | 1913 Gold Sovereign King George V British Coin £ 10.99 |
 | 1893 Queen Victoria Full Gold Sovereign – First Year Veiled Head – 22ct Gold £ 961.42 |
 | Full Half 1/10 St George Sovereign-Size 9ct Yellow Gold Coin Ring Size I-Z NEW £ 439.00 |
 | 1893 M Victoria Jubilee Head Gold Sovereign Melbourne Mint 22ct Scarce Date £ 1,099.00 |
 | Genuine & Original 22ct Gold 1913 George V Full Sovereign, Sydney Mint. £ 899.20 |
 | 1989 500TH ANNIVERSARY GOLD PROOF HALF SOVEREIGN BOXED COA £ 750.00 |
 | Sovereign Bullion Coins of the World 1/500 Oz 999 Gold Coin 3000 Fr. Chad 2020 £ 56.81 |
 | Vintage 9ct Yellow Gold Sovereign Coin Ring Hallmarked Size I 1/2 £ 177.50 |