The second last date of the Sydney mint Young Head series, the 1886 Sydney is of similar rarity to the 1887-S Young Head in lower grades but in the AU grades and above the 1886 Sydney tends to turn up far less frequently with 1887 Sydney Mint Half Sovereigns being available right up to the better mint state grades. The 1886-S is known by approximately 1500 to 2000 examples making it relatively common when compared to most earlier half sovereigns though they are still quite difficult to acquire with only a handful of appearances of each date per year.
This type can bedifferentiated from the scarcer Melbourne mint type by the presence of an S mintmark underneath the Shield on the reverse.
There are also subtle differences in the rim beading with the Melbourne mint type having a toothed rim while this type has a beaded rim.
MintageMintageMintageValues are in AUD and are retail price estimations based on past sales of coins certified by PCGS or NGC and as such values only related to such graded coins. Uncertified coins or coins graded by other services would likely be worth significantly less. For wholesale pricing please refer to the Red Sheet. While all attempts to ensure accurate pricing, data entry errors can occur and as such no warranty is expressed or implied as to the accuracy of any information published on this website. It is important to verify all published sales to ensure the accuracy of the pricing when making any purchase decision. Any personal information provided to us is protected by the Privacy Act 1988.