A 10-piece collection dubbed “Gold and the Nation” because of its ties to the Australian gold rush is being offered for $6.47 million AUD (about $6.25 million Cdn.).
The collection—offered by by Australian rare coin dealer Coinworks—includes two 1852 Adelaide gold ingots, each of which is valued at $1.35 million AUD (about $1.3 million Cdn.). One of the examples was previously owned by Egypt’s King Farouk before being sold to a collector in the U.S.
In 1999, both ingots were acquired by an Australian collector for $365,000 and $257,800, respectively.
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
The collection also includes a gold sovereign as well as a gold 1853 Proof half sovereign, which are valued at $1.5 million AUD (about $1.45 million Cdn.) altogether. Both examples were struck as test pieces for Australia’s first official gold coinage. They are the only known pair in private collections.
Also included in the collection are two 1852 Adelaide pounds, one of which is the finest known example of its type. It has a value of $475,000 AUD (about $458,755 Cdn.).