1871 Sydney Shield Reverse Sovereign - PCGS MS64

Australia, 1871 Sydney Shield Reverse Sovereign -

The first date of the shield sovereign series and the single finest graded to boot, this outstanding example is an ideal specimen for the sovereign type or date collector. The fields are satin finished, smooth, and free from significant contact marks. The obverse hairlines are bold, while the reverse is generally well-struck. There is a minor planchet or die flaw on the Queen’s neck—mentioned for accuracy only—which does not detract from the coin’s overall eye appeal. Additionally, the coin has a rock solid provenance spanning over twenty-one years: It was sold by Monetarium Australia to collector Paul Terry in 1991, sold back to Monetarium in 1992, and then on-sold to another collector later that year. This collector, a cotton grower from up north called Tom Hadley, would go on to form the famed Quartermaster Collection, to which this coin once belonged. The coin was Lot 45 in the auction that dispersed Hadley’s collection in 2009, and sold for $6,330, including buyers premium. The coin sold to a Sydney-based executive, from whom I acquired the coin earlier this year. VERY RARE in this superb grade, and one of the finest shield sovereigns I have seen in the last fifteen years. Catalogues $8,000 in Gem UNC.