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The Sydney Mint

The Sydney Mint was the first of the Australian mints to start producing gold sovereigns. The mint came about because gold was discovered in 1851 in New South Wales. The unrefined gold then started to be circulated on the black market and it was to put a stop to this undermining of the official currency that the Australian government suggested to the British Colonial Secretary that a mint be started in Sydney.

It is the oldest public building in Australia and was built in the year 1811 - 1816 as the south wing of what was once Macquarie's General Hospital and is now the Sydney Hospital. The Sydney Mint was the first branch of the Royal Mint to be situated outside of England. The rear of the Mint was the coining factory.

The production of coins started in May 1855 and gold sovereigns were struck from 1871 until 1926. The gold was delivered to the mint once a week by Gold Escorts from the gold fields, banks and individuals. The British Government demanded that sovereigns and half sovereigns produced by the Sydney Mint were different than those minted in England and to that end they were minted from dies that were engraved by James Wyon and supplied by the Royal Mint.

By 1870 the differences between the sovereigns minted at the Sydney Mint and elsewhere disappeared and from 1871 the Mint struck only British Imperial sovereigns. Look for the additional "S" mintmark. The sovereigns continuted to be minted until 1926 and the half sovereigns until 1916.

Many of these sovereigns are very rare or at the very least, scarce. Some of the rarest being the 1887 proof (very rare) and 1893 proof (rare), 1902, 1911 proof (extremely rare).

By 1926, with the Melbourne and Perth Mints having much better technology and being more profitable, the Sydney Mint was closed.

How to Spot a Sydney Mint Mark

The capital letter "S" can be found along the ground on the obverse under St George and the Dragon and above the date. On shield coins look for the mintmark under the "bow" of the wreath.