1918 Perth Half Sovereign - PCGS MS64

Australia, 1918 Perth Half Sovereign -

The 1918-P Half Sovereign needs no introduction. Believed to have been struck under mysterious circumstances in 1919 or 1920, very few remain in existence today. Across all grades, the coin appears in the market only a handful of times a year. Genuinely “UNC” examples are even rarer, and turn up two or three times a year at most. It’s a stroke of luck that I have two in stock (the other is graded PCGS MS62+). As I wrote in the earlier listing, the number of 1918-P half sovereigns in existence today is believed to be around 100 to 250 pieces; it’s the key date of the George V half sovereign series and the half sovereign series overall; it’s rarer than the 1930 penny, 1923 half penny, 1922/21 overdate, and most modern proof sets and mint sets. As of August 2013, PCGS has graded 17 examples in Mint State, with only six examples in MS64 and none finer. The coin photographed above is the equal-finest for the type, and one of the nicest 1918 Perth half sovereigns I’ve seen in recent years. If you’re looking for an Australian rarity that has both collector and investor appeal—and doesn’t have a six-figure price tag like some other Australian rarities—then this is your coin.