1890 Melbourne Sovereign

McD 181. The 1890 Melbourne Sovereign is the key date of the Jubilee head series, after the rare 1887 Sydney. Its rarity is not widely known, and is not reflected in the catalogue, but the facts speak for themselves: PCGS has graded eight 1890 Melbournes in Mint State – all in either MS60 or MS61. None have been graded finer. NGC has graded only seven in Mint State, with four examples in MS61 and one example in MS62. The piece on offer here, graded MS63 by NGC, is the single finest graded across both grading services. It has reflective proof-like fields and great eye appeal, while the details are strong and clear. This is the nicest 1890 Melbourne I’ve seen in the last ten years, and is RARE in this state of preservation.