The 1883 Gold Sovereign Melbourne Mint - ShieldGold sovereigns from around this era probably have more varieties than most people realise. They can be made in London, Melbourne, Perth or Sydney and can also in the same year have combinations of St George or Shield backs. On a finer scale the yound head can be large or small with hair variations; the horse can have a short, medium or long tail; and the engravers initials may or may not be present.
This is the Young Head Melbourne Sovereign shield back.
The Reverse, by Jean B. Merlen, shows the Royal Coat of Arms inside a wreath. The small 'M' below the shield is a mint mark that indicates the coin has been minted at the Melbourne Mint, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Legend says BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:
The Edge is milled.
The Obverse, by William Wyon, shows a Young Head Queen Victoria facing left, plain band and fillet in her hair. Date below. Initial W.W. in raised letter set in trucation of neck. Legend VICTORIA DEI GRATIA.Coin shows was described as a proof.
Image credit: Museums Victoria
Mintage: 2,050,450 (may include coins in sets)
Minted at The Melbourne Mint
More information (monarch, year, mint, country, category) can be found below coin listings.
Below are some coins currently being offered on eBay. As an eBay Partner, We may be compensated if you make a purchase.
List items on:
 | *RARE MINT STATE MS61* NGC Graded 1883 Half Sovereign Gold Coin - MARSH value+ £ 795.00 |
 | *R2 RARE* NGC Graded 1883 Sydney Gold Half Sovereign - Arabic 1 in REGINA £ 550.00 |
 | 22ct Gold Half Sovereign Queen Victoria Young Head 1883 London Mint £ 537.10 |
 | Victoria Gold Half Sovereign Young Head Shield Back Type 1883 £ 565.00 |
 | 1883-S Queen Victoria Shield Reverse Sovereign £ 965.00 |
 | 1883 Rare Gold Sovereign Melbourne Mint AU55 £ 2,262.00 |
 | 1937 BRITISH SOVEREIGN 22CT GOLD PLATED LARGE COIN KING GEORGE VI £ 11.86 |
 | 1887 Gold Sovereign, Golden Jubilee, Victoria £ 1,242.94 |
List items on:
Remember 1883 ?
Monarch is Queen Victoria. Prime Minister is William Ewart Gladstone (Liberal). US President is Chester A. Arthur (R-New York). The GPO (General Post Office) officially renames "letter carrier" to "Postman". Brooklyn Bridge is opened, it took 13 years to build. Robert Louis Stevenson publishes Treasure Island. Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show opens In Omaha, Nebraska.
Victoria (1837-1901)
Victoria was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she adopted the additional title of Empress of India. Victoria ruled for 64 years, a record only recently surpassed by Queen Elizabeth II.Victoria's parents were Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathern, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld. She married Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who later became known as Prince Albert. Victoria had nine children, the eldest son succeeding her as Edward VII.
Victoria posed for a number of head portraits, but there are generally three major variants: Young Head (1838-1887) by William Wyon, RA; Jubilee Head (1887-1893) by Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm and Old Head (1893-1901) by by Sir Thomas Brock.
Category: Sovereigns
The 1883 Gold Sovereign Melbourne - Shield is an example of the Gold Sovereign and is one of the most ubiquitous of all coins and much sought after by both coin collectors and bullion investors. Sovereigns have been minted since 1817 (in Britain 1817-1917, 1925 and 1957 on). At coins fairs you often hear the dealers refer to these coins as Sovs.Besides being minted in Britain, Sovereigns have been made in Australia (Melbourne, Sydney, Perth), India (then Bombay, now Mumbai), Canada (Ottawa) and South Africa (Pretoria) although these regional mints have not made sovereigns since 1932 (although India has produced some recently in a private mint partnership with the Royal Mint). The non-British coins carry a small mintmark ('S','M','P','I','C' or 'SA') just above the date. This 1883 Gold Sovereign Melbourne - Shield was minted at The Melbourne Mint.
The Obverse is the Monarch's head (Victoria) and the Reverse is most often St George and the Dragon, although other backs have been used and are of interest to collectors. The Reverse often gives the Sovs a new term, like "ShieldBacks".
Specifications for the Gold Sovereign
- Weight: 7.9881g
- Diameter: 22.05 mm
- Thickness: 1.52 mm
- Purity: 22 carat = 91.67% (11/12ths gold, 1/12th copper. Adding copper makes the coin more scratch and dent resistant)
- Gold Content: 113 grains = 7.3224 g = 0.2354 troy ounce
- Face value: £1 = 20 shillings
- Monarch: Victoria
History
Up until 1604 there was a coin called the English gold sovereign and in 1816 when there was the "Great Recoinage" the name was revived. At that time standard gold (22 carat) was valued at £46 14s 6d per troy pound; this meant a £1 coin needed to weigh 123.2744783 grains or 7.988030269 g. The weight is still the same today.
As a historical note: to maintain the Gold Standard, in 1816 the value of silver was set at 66 shillings for one troy pound and silver coins were only legal for denominations up to £2.
The first sovereigns carried the head of King George III and the famous George and the Dragon design by Benedetto Pistrucci (29 May 1783 – 16 September 1855), an Italian engraver who became chief medallist at the Royal Mint.
With high value coins such as the 1883 Gold Sovereign Melbourne - Shield, collectors and bullion investors often worry about forgeries but actually gold coins are very difficult to forge due to gold's unique properties of density and colour. Gold is extremely dense and to use another metal and gold-plate it would result in a coin that is under-weight, over-diameter or half as thick, something that would be spotted very easily. More difficult to spot would be a bullion coin melted down and re-cast as a highly collectable date, but an expert can usually tell these too. You should always use reputable dealers.
Which Mint: The Melbourne Mint
The Melbourne Mint, Victoria, Australia, opened around 1872 and was originally a branch of the Royal Mint in London. From 1872 to 1916 the Melbourne Mint minted only gold sovereigns, but from 1927 to 1967 it produced all Australian coins.Country of Origin: Australia
Australia is a country and continent surrounded by the Indian and Pacific oceans. Australia used pounds, shillings and pence until 1966, when it adopted the decimal system with the Australian dollar divided into 100 cents. The 1oz Silver coins are a particular favourite with collectors around the World and feature the famous Australian animals such as Kookaburra, Kangeroo and Kaola. 
On eBay UK:
 | Bullion Gold Half Sovereign Best Value £ 440.91 |
 | 2026 Reverse Frosted Gold Proof Sovereign - Low COA £ 1,650.00 |
 | 1820 Sovereign 22ct Gold Coin of George III Full Sovereign Coin £ 1,006.30 |
 | 2025 Gold Sovereign 'Last of the Rose Gold' £ 876.39 |
 | 1847 VICTORIA SHIELD GOLD SOVEREIGN FABULOUS HIGH GRADE EXAMPLE £ 1,050.00 |
 | 1832 Gold Sovereign, William IV £ 1,550.00 |
 | Half Sovereign Coin Mount Pendant 2.8g 9ct Hallmarked £ 167.10 |
 | 1909 Edward VII Royal Mint Full 22 carat Gold Sovereign Coin £ 899.20 |
View Coins on eBay UK
View Coins on eBay USA
On eBay USA:
| Bullion Gold Half Sovereign Best Value £ 440.91 |
| 2026 Reverse Frosted Gold Proof Sovereign - Low COA £ 1,650.00 |
| 1820 Sovereign 22ct Gold Coin of George III Full Sovereign Coin £ 1,006.30 |
| 2025 Gold Sovereign 'Last of the Rose Gold' £ 876.39 |
| 1847 VICTORIA SHIELD GOLD SOVEREIGN FABULOUS HIGH GRADE EXAMPLE £ 1,050.00 |
| 1832 Gold Sovereign, William IV £ 1,550.00 |
| Half Sovereign Coin Mount Pendant 2.8g 9ct Hallmarked £ 167.10 |
| 1909 Edward VII Royal Mint Full 22 carat Gold Sovereign Coin £ 899.20 |
View Coins on eBay UK
View Coins on eBay USA