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:
 | 1982 Gold Half Sovereign Coin - Queen Elizabeth - 22ct Gold £ 333.00 |
 | 1853 VICTORIA SHIELD GOLD FULL SOVEREIGN HIGH GRADE £ 715.58 |
 | 1988 Gold Full Sovereign, Elizabeth II £ 1,026.68 |
 | 2005 Gold Sovereign Coin Elizabeth II Fourth Head, In Capsule £ 669.68 |
 | Near-uncirculated London mint shieldback Queen Victoria gold sovereign 1847 £ 975.68 |
 | 1981 Gold Full Sovereign, Uncased Proof, Elizabeth II £ 1,026.68 |
 | 1967 ELIZABETH II GOLD FULL SOVEREIGN BOXED COA £ 669.68 |
 | gold full sovereign 2024 £ 644.18 |
 | 1989 Gold Five Pounds Quintuple Sovereign, 500th Anniversary, Elizabeth II £ 5,086.68 |
 | 1998 Gold Full Sovereign, Uncased Proof, Elizabeth II £ 1,026.68 |
 | 1906 Gold Full Sovereign, Edward VII £ 1,026.68 |
 | Gold Sovereign Best Value Gold Coin £ 664.14 |
 | 1906 Edward VII Gold Half Sovereign, Sydney Mint £ 370.00 |
 | Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Half-Sovereign 2022 Gold Proof Coin £ 353.48 |
 | One Eighth Sovereign Ann Princess Royal 75th Birthday Solid 22ct Gold 1/8 Coin £ 124.99 |
 | Solid Gold Sovereign Princess Anne Royal Family Full Presentation Pack Bullion £ 159.99 |
 | Royal Mint UK GOLD PROOF SOVEREIGN 1979 to 2025 - Choose your year £ 895.00 |
 | 2025 GOLD SOVEREIGN GEORGE AND THE DRAGON UNITED KINGDOM 7.98g £ 975.68 |
 | 2019 Royal Mint Gold Proof Quarter Sovereign - Box & COA £ 220.00 |
 | 1824 George IV Milled Gold Full Sovereign, Scarce £ 1,950.00 |