S3867b The last decade or so has seen a plethora of sovereigns sent in for grading. The sale of the Turner, Bentley and other collections drove prices up for high grade material and prompted thousands of sovereigns to be sent in for grading.  Many bags of sovereigns long held in bank reserves surfaced and were diligently searched for their finest and rarest coins. That tide has now subsided. Very few high grade sovereigns have been added to the grading agencies census in the last few years, leaving us with a very good impression of what high grade coins exist for each date. In general, Australian sovereigns in mint state are normally found sporting a large number of little tic marks. Sovereigns have rather high gold content making them vulnerable to shedding small bits when shaken together.  It would be easy to make a few bucks by shaking bags of sovereigns then washing the bags to collect the flakes. Australian sovereigns seemed to have suffered such abuse more than others possibly reflecting the entrepreneurial spirit of Aussies in general. In any event, Australian sovereigns from the reign of Victoria that are not all banged up are highly prized and genuinely rare despite whatever mintage exists. This coin is a superb example and must be considered extremely rare in the grade it occupies. It is the highest graded by either NGC or PCGS and the sole occupier of this lofty grade in both the NGC and PCGS census. Ex Dix auction 8 Sept 1999, lot 925 NGC MS64+

NGC 2837617-015