1852 Adelaide Pound Type II - PCGS AU55

Australia, 1852 Adelaide Pound Type II -

Produced during the desperate days of the South Australian colony, the 1852 Adelaide Pound is Australia’s first indigenous coin. Its story is well-known: Struck without Royal Assent, but with the blessing of the South Australian legislature, the coin was minted to large numbers (about twenty-five thousand pieces) before being widely melted down for scrap, which was greater than its face value of one pound. Today, only a few hundred examples of the pound exist. The cracked die example, described as Type I, is the rarer of the two types, while the second type, with a crenulated inner design, is known by greater numbers – although it too is still quite scarce. The Type II example photographed above is a collectable example of this popular issue. Minimally-worn, with good detail to the crown, the coin is graded AU55 with PCGS. Wear-wise, the coin is probably an AU58; I suspect the coin was downgraded on account of its poor strike, which is typical of Type II Adelaide Pounds. Otherwise, it is an overall appealing and high-grade example of this popular issue, and well-priced to boot.