AUSTRALIA. Sovereign, 1857-SYDNEY. Sydney Mint. Victoria. PCGS MS-64 Gold Shield. Fr-10; KM-4. The first date of this immensely popular gold series, the design of which features a youthful portrait of Queen Victoria with a wreath made from native Banksia in her hair. The reverse, simplistic yet sophisticated in its styling, reads AUSTRALIA in the center and is surrounded by a wreath that has a crown at its apex; the mint name, SYDNEY, appears above, and the denomination below. Exceptionally preserved for any date from this series, this near-Gem example presents a razor sharp strike and impressive luster, as well as yellow-gold color that adds a tremendous amount of vibrancy to the appearance. While most Mint State survivors from this series exhibit a significant number of marks, likely from their original transport in bags, this specimen has breathtakingly few. Quite accordingly, it should come as no surprise that this coin is not only the single finest graded of the date at PCGS, but of the entire type, which was struck from 1857 through 1870. For the collector who demands the finest, this delightful example serves as a monumental opportunity to acquire just that.
