![Australia, George V, Half Sovereign, 1918 Perth [ACP21-1] - Image 2](https://colonialcoins.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/ACPD21-1-2.jpg)
Description
British Empire, Australia, King George V (1910-1936 AD), Gold Half Sovereign, 1918 P, Royal Mint Perth branch. Obverse: Bare head of King George V facing to the left, engraver’s initials ‘B.M.’ (Edgar Bertram Mackennal) upon the neck truncation, legend surrounds, “GEORGIVS V D.G. BRITT: OMN: REX F.D. IND: IMP:”. Reverse: Saint George of Lydda, nude except for a plumed helmet and billowing cloak, rears his horse above the defeated Dragon of Silene, ready to finish his foe with his gladius, his lance, Ascalon, remains half embedded in its torso and the shaft rests to the left on the exergual ground-line; mintmark central on groundline, engraver’s initials ‘B.P.’ (Benedetto Pistrucci) and date in exergue. Marsh-534; S-4008. Surviving population of possibly 250 or less. Certified and graded by NGC as Mint State 63. The Key date for the George V Australian half sovereigns – the surviving mintage is exceedingly low and the story behind its scarcity is quite an interesting one. As detailed in Marsh’s book, it is likely that 1919-dated sovereigns were struck in 1919 and 1920 but were near wholly exported as bullion – certainly worth a read. Regardless, a key piece for any mature sovereign and half sovereign collector, and a well-known rarity on the world market.
A Mint State 64 example sold through Heritage Auctions CSNS Signature Sale 3132 for USD 6500 hammer (approx. 10880 AUD with buyer’s premium).
The obverse Latin legend is the royal titulature of King George V, reading unabridged as “Geōrgius sextus, Dei grātia, Britanniārum Omnium Rēx, Fideī Dēfēnsor, Indiae Imperātor”, with an English translation of “George the Sixth, by the grace of God, King of all the British people, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India”.
