1886 Queen Victoria Young Head Bullion Full Sovereign Melbourne

This 1886 young head sovereign was minted by the Melbourne mint in Australia. The reverse features St George and the Dragon by Benedetto Pistrucci.

This St George reverse sovereign was minted by the Melbourne mint in Australia. The Melbourne Mint was previously owned by the UK’s Royal Mint, and produced only sovereigns until 1916. The only other mint who produced sovereigns in 1886 was the Sydney mint, and no London mint coins exist. Sovereigns were issued for Queen Victoria in almost every year from 1838 to 1910. During the reign of Queen Victoria, there were three main obverse designs and two main reverse designs.

The obverse features the young head portrait of Queen Victoria which was designed by the Royal Mint engraver, William Wyon. The mint mark ‘M’ for Melbourne is clearly visible on the obverse under the portrait of the Queen.

This coin features the St George reverse by Benedetto Pistrucci. There are shield sovereigns available for this date.