British Colonial - Sydney: 1857-1869
Australia Half Sovereign - Queen Victoria

On 1856 October 22nd Australia Gold Sovereigns and Half Sovereigns were legalised for use in Ceylon by Proclamation of Queen Victoria. It was revoked by proclamation on 1869 June 18th with the introduction of Decimal currency for Ceylon.

SPECIFICATIONS
DenominationSovereign
MetalGold 0.916
AlloyAg/Cu 1.01
Diameter19.2 mm
Thickness1.0 mm
Weight Legal4.00 gms
Weight3.92 gms
ShapeRound
EdgeMilled
Die-Axis180°
MintRoyal, Sydney
 18xx_australia_victoria_hs_au_obverse 18xx_australia_victoria_hs_au_reverse
Obverse : Young Head of Queen Victoria to left. Hair bound and collected up into a knot behind with a wreath of native Bamksia part of which drops down the face, curls below the bottom of the ear and returns to the knot. Around along periphery legend VICTORIA D:G:BRITANNIAR:REG:F:D: . Mint Year at bottom below the truncation
Reverse : The AUSTRALIA across the center with a small crown above. A branch of oak leaves on either side joined at the bottom by a knotted bow. SYDNEY MINT at top and HALF SOVEREIGN at the bottom along periphery.

YearMintageYearMintage
1857537K 1862210K
1858483K 1863348K
1859341K 1864141K
1860156K 1865  62K
1861186K 1866154K

The 1856 October 16th Proclamation of Queen Victoria was only published in The Ceylon Government Gazette No. 3,044 of July 25, 1857;

The 1857 to 1866 Australia Sovereigns had Second Type of head engraved by L. C. Wyon. Older 1855 and 1856 Sovereigns of First Type, had larger head engraved by James Wyon, as used in the Sovereign Minted in London.

See discussion in Australia Sovereign coin

Ref: The Gold Sovereign. by M. A. Marsh.
1999, Cambridge U.K., 2nd ed. 118pp. Illustr. colour

The Australia Half Sovereign was scanned at 600 dpi and displayed at 300 dpi It was won on eBay in 1999 May.