At the Midlands coin fair last week (June 2016), I was lucky enough to see a 2005 Perth Prospector Collection which I thought was fantastic. It was different from the rest and very unusual.
The 2005 Perth Prospector Collection consists of a Gold 1oz Prospector Nugget Coin, a 1905 Perth Mint Sovereign and 1/4oz natural gold nuggets, beautifully packaged in a wooden box.
The set is part of a series of collections that celebrates the discovery of the Welcome Stranger nugget. Found in Victoria in 1869, it is the largest nugget ever found, weighing in at a whopping 2,284oz. At the time it was estimated to be worth £9,381. Today a nugget of that size would fetch about £2.7 million.
The 1oz coin depicts the Welcome Stranger nugget together with some early Australian prospectors and their prospecting techniques. There is some red colours added to the coin. The obverse shows Queen Elizabeth II and is legal tender with a denomination of Aus$100.
The 1905 Sovereign has a ‘P’ mintmark signifying the Perth Mint. The obverse is King Edward VII and the reverse is the classic George and the Dragon by Bernedetto Pistrucci.
Only 150 of these sets were authorised, so the set is probably quite difficult to find. I hadn’t thought about it before but I was told that it’s also difficult to buy gold nuggets.
My thanks to Max Hughes (MJ Hughes Coins) for allowing me to photograph the set. The set was sold at the show.
On eBay UK:
 | 2016 Gold Proof Full Sovereign Box & COA £ 39.18 |
 | 2024 Royal Mint Charles lll Gold Proof Full Sovereign. £ 900.00 |
 | Gold Half Sovereign King George V 1912. Excellent condition as images show. £ 414.70 |
 | Bullion Gold Half Sovereign Best Value £ 432.50 |
 | 22k gold Proof 4g sovereign x ONE from 2001 to 2014 £ 449.38 |
 | 1866 QV young head, Shield Back 22k gold sovereign coin 4g £ 490.18 |
 | Rare 2018 Privy Mark 22k Proof gold sovereign 4g £ 593.20 |
 | 1968 Gold sovereign, Elizabeth II £ 950.00 |
 | Rare KGIV 1827 22k gold sovereign coin 4g £ 491.20 |
 | 2022 Queens Golden Jubilee Gold Sovereign Coin (Carded in Plastic envelope) £ 936.94 |
 | VERY RARE KING GEORGE THE IV 1822 FULL GOLD SOVEREIGN £ 1,399.00 |
 | 2022 QEII Memorial 22k Proof gold sovereign coin KCIII on reverse £ 490.18 |
 | 1959 Full Sovereign British Coin Queen Elizabeth II 22ct Gold £ 840.00 |
 | 1817 George III Half Gold Sovereign. Debut Year. Very Fine. £ 1,156.24 |
 | 1902 Gold Half Sovereign Coin In 9ct hallmarked Pendant on a 20inch 9ct Chain.. £ 894.10 |
 | 1902 HALF SOVEREIGN PENDANT WITH 9K SURROUND USED £ 618.70 |
 | Royal Mint UK GOLD PROOF HALF SOVEREIGN 1983 to 2026 - Choose your year £ 575.00 |
 | 2026 Royal Mint Gold Proof Sovereign Only 3000 Minted! First Yellow Gold New £ 1,565.00 |
 | Gold Sovereign Coins Live Values Book with mintage figures - Royal Mint Full... £ 12.52 |
 | Slim Gold Sovereign Deluxe Black Storage Case FULL HALF Sovereign £ 12.00 |