The 1918 Perth half sovereign is truly an enigmatic coin - five decades had passed from the date it was made before Australian collectors were able to even confirm that it existed. From the time the first known example was photographed on page 5 of the April 1967 edition of the Australian Coin Reviewmagazine, the exact number struck has been the subject of conjecture. Just what happened to these tiny gold coins once they left the Perth Mint's premises has also been a burning question for many decades.

The primary reason many numismatists have questioned the official mintage figure is the fact that although the Royal Mint prepared half sovereign dies dated 1918 for the Perth Mint, curiously, no half sovereigns were actually struck at the Perth Mint during that calendar year.... read more