1858 Sydney Mint Half Sovereign Double R Error - PCGS VF - Details

Australia, 1858 Sydney Mint Half Sovereign Double R Error -

Since 2008, there have been dozens of 1930 pennies on the market. Type II Adelaide Pounds have been equally as proliferous. If you’d like a 1923 halfpenny, let me make a phone call and I'll get you one. Pre-1955 proofs? No problem. I can find some of those too. Looking for the 1858 “double R” half sovereign error? Well, you’d have to give me a few years. This error is elusive, make no mistake. In fact, since I began trading in 2008, I’ve only had this error in stock once before. Across the broader market, the coin has sold through auction or dealers sales perhaps only a dozen times since 2000. The coin is so exclusive that the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney has one in their collection. So when I had the opportunity to acquire this coin from a Melbourne source, I almost had no choice but to buy the coin. As you can see by the images above, the coin is no gem. It’s evenly worn and slightly buckled in the field. However, the legends are clear and readable while the silhouette of Queen Victoria is bold. Most importantly, the “RR” error on the reverse is unmistakable. The number of specimens that exists is unknown, but research by sovereign dealer Andrew Crellin has identified eight unique examples. Including the above coin, which is a new discovery, brings the total to nine known coins. In any case, whatever the mintage might be, there’s no doubt that the coin is rare—perhaps far rarer than is appreciated by the market—so if you’re looking for a coin that is perhaps a little undervalued, or just want to own one of the most famous half sovereign errors in the series, this is your coin. (The coin has not been assigned a numerical grade by PCGS on account of the buckling in the field.)