1901 Melbourne Pattern Half Sovereign
The Melbourne Mint's output of half sovereigns was sporadic: it struck half sovereigns in 1900 and 1906 for example, but struck no half sovereigns in the intervening five years. A small number of pattern half sovereigns were struck in 1901 however.
In 1980 it was in a list of Melbourne Mint pattern half sovereigns (p55, Skinner, Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Catalogue, 1980) and it was against listed as a proof only coin in 1985 (p53, Skinner, Renniks Australian Coins and Decimal Banknotes, 1985). In 1989 it was reported that an example was sold for $9,000 in the Spink Australia November 1981 auction (p26, Skinner, Renniks Australian Coin and Banknote Values, 1989).
Two examples were sold as parts of lots 647 and 649 in Sotheby's auction of the Murdoch collection on 21st July 1903. An example was listed and photographed as lot 1015 in a Spink Australia in November 1981.