drakesterling

An 1884 Melbourne half sovereign. Mintage 48,000 pieces. This one is PCGS XF45.

A 1908P half sovereign, with an ultra low mintage of just 24,668 pieces.

Australian halves are generally harder to find in high grade than UK ones. This 1893 is from Sydney and is graded PCGS MS61.

Here's another early half sov. The 1864 comes in two varieties, one with a Roman 1 in the date, and the other with the Arabic 1 in the date.

An 1855 Sydney Mint half sovereign

Like some sovereigns, the 1864 Sydney Mint half sovereign can have a Roman "1" or Hindu-Arabic "1" in the date. The coin photographed has the Hindu-Arabic "1".

PCGS also acknowledge that particular variety, but it is a special request under the mint error submission, so can be a little expensive to do:
https://www.drakesterling.com/news/post/pcgs-graded-sovereign-from-1872-m-with-medallic-die-alignment

A 1909 Canada sovereign in PCGS MS62. Mintage 16,273 pieces.

A 1913 Canadian ten dollar in PCGS MS65, mintage 149,232 pieces, although a lot have been melted.

Ex-Royal Bank of Canada, PCGS MS64. Mintage 140,068 pieces.

Small upsets like these happen frequently, especially amongst GV. It's the larger upsets (greater than 90 degrees) that are collectable. Here's one with a 180 degree upset:
https://www.drakesterling.com/news/post/pcgs-graded-sovereign-from-1872-m-with-medallic-die-alignment

Small upsets like these happen frequently, especially amongst GV. It's the larger upsets (greater than 90 degrees) that are collectable. Here's one with a 180 degree upset:
https://www.drakesterling.com/news/post/pcgs-graded-sovereign-from-1872-m-with-medallic-die-alignment

Small upsets like these happen frequently, especially amongst GV. It's the larger upsets (greater than 90 degrees) that are collectable. Here's one with a 180 degree upset:
https://www.drakesterling.com/news/post/pcgs-graded-sovereign-from-1872-m-with-medallic-die-alignment

An 1865 shilling in PCGS MS67. Still, the single-finest graded by PCGS.

An 1865 shilling in PCGS MS67. Still, the single-finest graded by PCGS.

An 1853 proof crown in PCGS PR64CAM. A rare coin in any grade.

Australian halves are generally harder to find in high grade than UK ones. This 1893 is from Sydney and is graded PCGS MS61.

An 1884 Melbourne half sovereign. Mintage 48,000 pieces. This one is PCGS XF45.

Quick reply: The decision was made by David Iverson and Steve Hill during the initial publication of their Jubilee pamphlets. You mentioned that Steve Hill would include your discoveries in future publications, so it seems his position on the medium tails has changed. In any case, I defer to Steve Hill and David Iverson's views, as they are the academics who have done the hard work and research. 

Quick reply: The decision was made by David Iverson and Steve Hill during the initial publication of their Jubilee pamphlets. You mentioned that Steve Hill would include your discoveries in future publications, so it seems his position on the medium tails has changed. In any case, I defer to Steve Hill and David Iverson's views, as they are the academics who have done the hard work and research. 

Hi @DrK can we see images of the entire coin? The short and long tails coins wear differently, and can often be identified by the way the wear presents on the dragon.
 
Various medium tails are known/alleged to exist and have been described in past editions of the McDonald catalogue. If you can find a copy of one, you can check there if they haven't already been described? I'll check when I'm back in the office next week too.
 
The decision was made to not specifically describe medium tails as new varieties, as it was unclear whether the medium tail was a different die or simply one where the shallow incused tips of the tail had been filled in the die.

Hi @DrK can we see images of the entire coin? The short and long tails coins wear differently, and can often be identified by the way the wear presents on the dragon.
 
Various medium tails are known/alleged to exist and have been described in past editions of the McDonald catalogue. If you can find a copy of one, you can check there if they haven't already been described? I'll check when I'm back in the office next week too.
 
The decision was made to not specifically describe medium tails as new varieties, as it was unclear whether the medium tail was a different die or simply one where the shallow incused tips of the tail had been filled in the die.

Yes, that's right. You have a good memory.
Australia's first sovereign, the Adelaide sovereign.

An 1884 Melbourne half sovereign. Mintage 48,000 pieces. This one is PCGS XF45.

A 1908P half sovereign, with an ultra low mintage of just 24,668 pieces.