Oz 1/2 Sov Type Set
Private
Updated:
7/17/2026
Views: 521
Of the seven different types of Australian branch mint half sovereigns, the Jubilee Head is definitely the rarest, having somewhat less than half a million coins minted at Melbourne and Sydney over all of the years of production. Next rarest would be the Fillet Head, with the 1856 coin produced in about the same amount as all of the Jubilee Head coins for both mints for all years combined. And third rarest would be Veiled Head,, with somewhat less than a million coins produced.
Of the total of 18.5 million Jubilee Head half sovs minted, 97% were produced in London, 2% in Sydney, and 1% in Melbourne. And Melbourne only produced coins during the first and last years of this type, 1887 and 1893. So it's not at all surprising that as of 6/2025 only a few sets in this category contain a Jubilee Head example, and my set has the sole one minted in Melbourne.
Since my main collecting interest is full sovereigns and half sovs are just a minor diversion, I've decided not to pursue putting together as much of a complete set as possible. Instead, I'm only going to collect half sovs that are classified as Rare according to the Marsh/Hill 2021 scale (R to R7).
For those who may not be familiar with the Marsh/Hill rarity scale, here are the descriptions:
R = Rare
R2 = Very Rare (less than 100 examples estimated to exist)
R3 = Extremely Rare (less than 50 examples estimated to exist)
R4 = 11 to 20 examples estimated to exist
R5 = 5 to 10 examples estimated to exist
R6 = 3 or 4 examples known
R7 = 1 or 2 examples known
Because of this restriction, completing this 7 coin type set is going to be extremely difficult. For the five Victorian slots there are plenty of different rare dates available, and quite a few for Edward VII as well. However, for slot seven there is only ONE obtainable rare Aussie Geo V half sov, namely 1911-P. So unless I can manage to come up with one of those this set will never be completed.
N.B.-- Although half of Sydney Mint half sovs are not classified as Rare, I will still try to acquire as many of the 1856 to 1866 mini-set as I can since I find those coins particularly attractive. My current goal is to get each coin in AU condition since that will make a nicely balanced set. However, since most of the dates have only four or five examples available in this condition certified by NGC and some or all of these may be in very strong hands and not for sale for many years, it may not be feasible to assemble such a set, in which case some lower graded coins may be necessary.
Update 1 June 2025: As expected, I'm having problems acquiring a nice example of the 1911-P 1/2 sov. Although a substantial number have been certified by NGC, they rarely appear at auction. I was able to get a PCGS coin, however when I sent it in to NGC for crossover the nefarious graders refused to cross it at the same grade as PCGS, so that attempt failed. While I'm continuing my quest, I'll go ahead and fill the slot with a placeholder, just to make the set look complete.
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Oz 1/2 Sov Type Set
By Cozdred
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