The 1911 Sydney Mint Gold Sovereign is a significant coin from the early reign of King George V. This coin features the bare head of George V facing left on the obverse, with the initials B.M. (for Bertram Mackennal) on the truncation. The obverse inscription reads "GEORGIVS V D.G. BRITT: OMN: REX F.D. IND: IMP:", which translates to "George the Fifth by the Grace of God, King of all the Britains, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India".
The reverse, struck en médaille, depicts St. George slaying the dragon with a sword, a classic design by Benedetto Pistrucci. The mint mark 'S' for Sydney is located at the centre of the ground line, with the date 1911 in the exergue and B.P. (Benedetto Pistrucci's initials) to the upper right.
The 1911 Sydney Mint Sovereign had a substantial mintage of 2,519,000 coins. This was the first year that King George V's portrait appeared on coins, despite his accession to the throne in May 1910. The coin's specifications include:
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Weight: 7.98g
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Diameter: 22.05mm
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Purity: 22 carat gold (91.67%)
Specification
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Denomination | Sovereign |
| Alloy | 22 Carat Gold |
| Weight | 7.98 g |
| Diameter | 22.05mm |
| Reverse Designer | Benedetto Pistrucci |
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Obverse Designer | Bertram Mackennal |
| Quality | Circulating |
| Year | 1911 |
| Pure Metal Type | Gold |