Best Gold Sovereigns

Australia Melbourne Mint Sovereigns Review

Queen Victoria Jubilee Head Sovereign

The Royal Mint was set up in Melbourne to mint the gold from the Ballarat and nearby gold fields into gold Sovereigns.

It was located at William Street in Melbourne and was a lovely Victorian Complex around a verandahed
courtyard. It is now a restaurant.
It was a wholly owned branch of the Royal Mint in London and not an Australian company.
The Melbourne Mint was built in 1871-1872 .

The lovely Victorian building housed a central administrative wing which was designed after the Palazzon Cafferelli-Vidoni by Raphael in Rome.

Apart from the actual production buildings there was also a secure bullion room.
Melbourne Mint began minting sovereigns in 1872.

These had the mint mark m .

It took a while to get started because all of the equipment and dies were sent from London by ship and sample coins had to be sent back to London by ship for approval before they could be circulated.This would take months.
Some miners and gold owners were able to take their gold directly to the mint and have it made into coins.
There was a charge made for this service.
The last issues of Sovereigns were made in 1931 from Melbourne and Perth (The Sydney Mint had closed in 1926).
As well as bullion and general circulation sovereigns,Melbourne minted rare presentation coins for the Queen Victoria Jubilee in 188
(A two pound piece) and another two pound piece for the Coronation of King Edward VII. These are very collectable.
The Royal Melbourne Mint closed it doors as a mint in 1970 in Melbourne.