1999 Perth Mint Centenary Reverse Proof Sovereign - PNC

"A Century of the Gold Sovereign" Coin First Day Cover

LIMITED EDITION - 999 COVERS WORLDWIDE

For hundreds of years, the gold sovereign has been the ultimate coin, coveted and cherished by collectors and merchants alike.

The Perth Mint is one of the world's premier mints and Australia's oldest operating mint.  It was originally established as a branch of Britain's Royal Mint specifically to strike sovereigns from gold minted from Western Australia's new gold field, and once formed a vital part of the British Empire.

For 1999 it has issued a brand new "Centenary" Sovereign to mark it's 100th year of minting.  The gold sovereign struck for the occasion has many unique characteristics - the obverse featuring the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II by Ian Rank-Broadley, and the reverse featuring the original St George and Dragon design by Pistrucci.  The band around the sovereign is minted in 99.9% silver - the first of its kind in the world and features a special "P100" privy mark - highlighting the 100 anniversay of the Perth Mint.  It is complemented by an equally innovative stamp featuring the obverse and reverse designs of the sovereign, embossed in gold foil for the first time in history of the Australian Post Office.  Embossing is rare and expensive, making this stamp a beautiful sought-after edition to your cover.  Further more, it is postmarked "Perth", in Western Australia on the stamp's First Day of worldwide - your guarantee of the low edition limit of just 999 covers worldwide.

The evocative cachet design on the cover again depicts St George slaying the Dragon, the theme that Pistrucci engraved so well on the reverse of the sovereign.