Watch List notes:

Sovereign 1872M 2 over 1 Shield Reverse, Marsh 59A, Good Fine/VF and rated R4 by Marsh with 15-25 examples believed to exist, making this the scarcest date/die combination in the Melbourne Young Head Shield Series. The overdate is visible over the top of the 2 with the base of the underlying 1 forming part of the base of the 2. This example shows a die crack through the 1 running from the rim, through the date, and ending on the truncation between the W.W. . An example of the type is shown in Marsh 2000 page 64 (scanning electron microscope picture). Cataloguers Note: The mint was opened on 12 June 1872 by the Governor and Viscountess Canterbury. This was somewhat later than planned; it had ordered and paid for dies to strike coins dated 1871. It was initially manned by volunteers from the Royal Engineers who had undertaken special training in London. They were under the command of Colonel Edward Ward who had already great experience with opening a mint in Australia as he had been in charge of the original team at the Sydney Mint in 1855. This variety arose due to the dies sent from London only averaging 8000 impressions, whereas the reverse dies were averaging 14,000 impressions, therefore by September 1872 some of the 1871 obverse dies had to be altered. A local engraver Julius Hogarth was employed and carried out the work.

Estimate: 420-480 GBP