Do you know what coin hold the record for Australia most expensive gold coin? A 1920 Sydney Mint Sovereign sold for a record price AUD$1.02 million (£650,000) at London Auction won by an International dealer of gold coins and bullion Robert Jaggard in September 2012. Jaggard made the record breaking bid by phone from Sydney on behalf of a private Australian collector.
The coin obverse bust engraved by Edgar Bertram MacKennal, bare head left, B.M. on truncation, toothed border both sides, “GEORGIVS V D. G. BRITT: OMN: REX F. D. IND: IMP:”
The coin reverse struck en medaille, engraved after Benedetto Pistrucci, St George slaying dragon with sword, horse with long tail, broken lance on groundline to left, WWP in relief under lance, S for Sydney in relief on groundline at centre, date in exergue, tiny B.P. to upper right, edge milled.
Only three 1920 Sydney Mint Sovereign held by private collectors and there's only a couple more in museums around the world. Even though they're 360,000 Sovereigns struck by the Mint in 1920, only few sovereign dated 1920. Some believe many of 1920 Sovereigns has been melted down, others think that 1919 dated coins are included in the 1920 mintage.
The 1920 Sydney Mint coin was originally sold for AUD$4250 in 1979. It went back on the market in 2006 and was bought for AUD$580,000 at auction. One of the other two coins was sold three years ago for AUD$844,000.
