The Sydney Mint opened in 1855 as the first branch of the Royal Mint outside Britain, established specifically to convert the flood of New South Wales gold rush bullion into coin without the costly delay of shipment to London. This 1856 pattern sovereign was part of the trial process for determining an acceptable local design before full production coinage commenced — the mint's early years involved considerable negotiation between colonial authorities and the Royal Mint over what an Australian-struck sovereign should look like.
Patterns from this period survive in extremely small numbers, most traceable to institutional collections.
The Sydney Mint opened in 1855 as the first branch of the Royal Mint outside Britain, established specifically to convert the flood of New South Wales gold rush bullion into coin without the costly delay of shipment to London. This 1856 pattern sovereign was part of the trial process for determining an acceptable local design before full production coinage commenced — the mint's early years involved considerable negotiation between colonial authorities and the Royal Mint over what an Australian-struck sovereign should look like.
Patterns from this period survive in extremely small numbers, most traceable to institutional collections.