KOTCT Members Forum

A Gold Sovereign is a gold coin first issued in 1489 for Henry VII of England and still in production as of 2009. While the coin typically had a nominal value of one pound sterling or 20 shillings, the sovereign was primarily an official piece of bullion with no mark of value anywhere on the coin itself.

The name "sovereign" comes from the large size and portraiture of the coin, the earliest of which showed the king facing, seated on a throne, while the reverse shows the Royal coat of arms on a shield surrounded by a Tudor double rose.

Original sovereigns were 23 carat (95.83%) gold and weighed 240 grains or one-half of a troy ounce (15.552 grams). Henry VIII reduced the purity to 22 carats (91.67%), which eventually became and remains the gold coin standard (so-called crown gold) in both the United Kingdom and the U.S.; the weight of the sovereign was repeatedly lowered until when it was revived after the Great Recoinage law of 1816, the gold content was fixed at the present 113 grains (7.322 g), equivalent to 0.2354 Troy ounces.

Sovereigns were discontinued after 1604, being replaced by Unites, and later by Laurels and broads, and then guineas. Production of sovereigns restarted in 1817. The initial reverse type for gold coins was the shield and crown motif, supplemented on the sovereign with a heraldic wreath. This was succeeded by a portrayal of Saint George killing a dragon, engraved by Benedetto Pistrucci. This same design is still in use on British gold sovereigns, although other reverse designs have also been used during the reigns of William IV, Victoria, George IV, and Elizabeth II.



Sovereigns minted since 1817 have been produced to a standard specification:
Weight: 7.9881 grams
Thickness: 1.52 mm
Diameter: 22.05 mm
Fineness: 22 carat = 91.67%
Actual Gold Content: 7.3224 grams = 0.2354 troy ounce

NB: Well-worn or used coins may be marginally under manufactured weight and size.

Sovereigns were produced as follows:
•   London: 1817–1917, 1925, 1957 onwards
•   Melbourne: 1872–1931
•   Sydney: 1855–1926
•   Perth: 1899–1931
•   Bombay: 1918 only
•   Ottawa: 1908–1919
•   Pretoria: 1923–1932


Please share with your coins and whatever you have on this series


Thanks  :)

Queen Victoria, Gold Sovereign 1896 KM #785  :)

Reverse of the above coin  :)

Queen Victoria, Gold Sovereign 1900 KM #785   :)

Reverse of the above coin  :)

Paint Your Wagon; i think you have some nice pics and info to share with us on this topic...its your speciality  ;)

Thanks John, they are the only gold coins i have.
I am keeping one for each daughter. Hope that i will be able to add more someday. They will make a nice wedding gift  ;)

I don't have any gold coins. I was under the impression that
Sovereigns were big coins, how wrong was I. Only 8 grams.

Chard UK vendor has a lot of ready info on sovereigns
I do not like them because their prices are never up to date and they do not answer emails
only telephone calls . They keep bashing ebay because at one time all their offerings where withdrawn at once due to an "error"

http://www.goldsovereigns.co.uk/index.php

http://www.goldsovereigns.co.uk/information.html

http://www.taxfreegold.co.uk/2009british5coingoldset.php

The first sovereign I saw at age six in a pendant my mother wore ; my wife had one on a bracelet
They came in 5 pounds and 2 pounds and sovereign and half sovereign size till 2009 when the quarter sovereign was introduced.
The mint does a really lousy job in making and packaging these coins . I bought the 2005 straight from the mint and they came in pillboxes , ( like those pills you push thru an alu foil ) They were "damaged" and impossible to scan .

At one time my friend and I tried to put together a collection of new sovereigns (1957 and later in MS65 or better ) We gave up because nearly all had ugly bagmarks.

In the seventies money exchangers would have old sovs and new sovs and the old had a markup of 30% or more . After the eighties run up in gold the mark up dissapeared forever. ( new was 1957 and later)

It is said that 40 to 70 millions sovs were minted. They used to give the away in non agression pacts . Like when they were at war with Spain they gave Holland coffers full of sovereings to leave them alone during that war.

There is only two sovs I like . The young head Vicki shieldback ( I only saw a true MS once in my life) and the 2005 design .

Vicky 1872 shieldback
This sovereign was collected by glueing it in a book with real glue
The back therefore is MS but the face which was showing was "worn"

The 2005 business strike is impossible to scan but the proof is quiet nice

 :o :o :o

I knew that you will amaze me PYW, as i said this topic is your speciality  :)

The 1872 is a beauty, and the 2005 design speaks for the castle...Thanks for the info and for sharing these beauties :)


hmhm .... any more  :)

Not very well known young Lizzy second head I think 1981 MS64

The first of the socalled new sovereigns series Lizzy I
MS65 1958

I like the young Lizzy Bust more... i think it is more Royal  :)

Well she got more Royal by the year  8)

 :-[  :-[ :-[  :D

This is a typical "old" sovereign going for the same spot plus 3% price as the new sovereign
Little edge nick pushes this 1914 into MS63

In theory the "old" category for melt contains three queens and two kings but forget to ever get a Vicky for melt plus 3%

If you click on the small picture you get a somewhat larger picture
Due to the exchange agents network in Belgium nearly all of the remaining
exchange agents sell and buy gold at the prices here announced which change
continuously

http://www.munters.be/servlet/javaparser?pgm=lst_or_new&lg=nl

 :D
Hi Egcollector:
Very beautiful coins.    I do not collect them
George