1870 Sydney Mint Sovereign About Very Fine

Description

The 1870 Sydney Mint Sovereign sits in an interesting position within the series – later than the scarce founding dates of the 1850s and early 1860s, yet still within the era of lower annual mintages before production ramped considerably in the mid-1870s.

Obverse: The laureate young head of Queen Victoria by William Wyon, surrounded by the legend VICTORIA D G BRITT REG F D, with a full and sharp milled border.

Reverse: Pistrucci’s St George and the Dragon in fine detail, with the date 1870 beneath – the horse, rider, lance, and dragon all presenting with pleasing clarity and relief.

Grade: About Very Fine (AVF) An attractive and lightly circulated example. The surfaces retain generous original detail across both sides, with only the very highest relief points – the cheek and brow of Victoria’s portrait and the upper flanks of the horse on the reverse – showing any meaningful wear. All design elements are sharp and fully present, the legend is complete and bold, and the milled rim is intact around the full circumference. Fields are clean with no trace of cleaning, polishing, or environmental damage. A coin of this grade for this date speaks to careful, limited circulation and considerate subsequent handling.