When Australian coinage began The Royal Mint of England produced them, crated them and shipped them by clipper ship. That came to a halt in 1854 when the British Secretary of State authorized the colonial government to establish a mint in Sydney which would be the first branch of the Royal Mint outside England. (coinage started in 1855 after completion of the facility) By 1926, with the Melbourne and Perth Mints having much better technology and being more profitable, the mint at Sydney was closed. Here's a photo of the old establishment courtesy of wikipedia: COLOR PHOTOGRAPH OF OLD SYDNEY MINT Would you like to see a photo of an old sketch of the Sydney Mint along with proposed interior placement of coin presses and other coin machinery in the coining factory? DRAWING OF OLD SYDNEY MINT AND COINING FACTORY Somewhere between 1869 and 1872 The Royal Mint of England established another branch mint (in the city of Melbourne). It was established to produce only gold Sovereigns which it did so until 1927 when the production of all Australian coins was added to its itinerary. Here's a photo of that old institution courtesy of Wikipedia: COLOR PHOTOGRAPH OF THE OLD MELBOURNE MINT Here's a photo of a Melbourne Mint-struck 1872 Queen Victoria Sovereign (Melbourne Museum Photo): 1872 MELBOURNE MINT GOLD SOVEREIGN The Royal Mint in London opened its final branch mint at Perth, Australia on June 20, 1899. It. like the Mint at Melbourne, was relegated to produce gold coins, but, unlike the mint at Melbourne, it produced both Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns. It's the only one of the old mints in operation today. On July 1, 1970, it became a statutory authority of the Government of Western Australia. It's now owned by Gold Corporation which is wholly-owned by the Government of Western Australia. Here's a photograph courtesy of Wikipedia: COLOR PHOTOGRAPH OF PERTH MINT Here's a photo of one of Perth Mints Gold Sovereigns): PERTH MINT 1899 GOLD SOVEREIGN The Royal Australian Mint is situated in the Australian federal capital city of Canberra. Before the opening of the mint, Australian coins were struck at branches of the Royal Mint - the Sydney Mint, Melbourne Mint and Perth Mint. The Royal Australian Mint holds a place in history as the first mint in Australia not to be a branch of the Royal Mint in London. As mentioned earlier, the only other operational mint today in Australia is the Perth Mint. Planning for the mint began in 1959 when it was proposed to move the Royal Mint branch from Melbourne to Canberra. It was officially opened by the Duke of Edinburgh on 22 February 1965 coinciding with the debut of decimal coinage, which was introduced into circulation on 14 February 1966. The new mint and the Melbourne mint operated concurrently as the new coinage was produced. When the initial demand for decimal coinage was satisfied, the Melbourne mint was closed. The Royal Australian Mint consists of two buildings, an administration building and a process building. The administration building houses the engravers, a laboratory, and a vibration-free basement where coinage is measured to ensure correct size and weight. Here's a photo courtesy of Wikipedia: PHOTOGRAPH OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN MINT AT CANBERRA Why have I told you all this? Because in 2005 the Royal Australian Mint struck a commemorative Half Sovereign honoring the 150th Anniversary of the Sydney Mint. Photos courtesy of The Coin Page and the Royal Australian Mint: OBVERSE 2005 ROYAL AUSTRALIAN MINT HALF SOVEREIGN - COMMEMORATIVE SYDNEY MINT 150TH ANNIVERSARY REVERSE 2005 ROYAL AUSTRALIAN MINT HALF SOVEREIGN - COMMEMORATIVE SYDNEY MINT 160TH ANNIVERSARY Hope this was interesting to you... Clinker
