PURITY: 22 CARAT
WEIGHT: 7.988 grams
FINE GOLD: 7.332 grams or 0.2354 Troy ounces
DIAMETER: 22.05 mm
The Gold Sovereign coin was first produced in 1817 and is a gold coin of the United Kingdom. The gold Sovereign coin has a nominal value of one pound sterling. Struck in 22 carat gold this popular British coin retains its ‘legal tender’ status and therefore benefits from being exempt from Capital Gains Tax, making this coin very popular amongst all types of investors.
The Gold Sovereign coin depicts the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the obverse of the coin. The first monarch to appear on the official Gold Sovereign coin was King George III.
The sovereign coin is a light weight gold coin with huge popularity. Benedetto Pistrucci, an Italian sculptor designed the reverse of the coin that features Saint George on horseback atop a wounded dragon, commonly referred to as ‘George and Dragon’. This infamous design has remained a constant in Gold Sovereigns right up until present day productions.
With each reigning sovereign that the United Kingdom has seen the Royal Mint will produce a new gold sovereign coin. The Victorian era saw the production of Gold Sovereign Shield Back. This was designed for the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837 and depicted the ‘Young Head’ portrait of Queen Victoria with a the first shield design on the reverse of the coins, to this day a historical coin popular amongst many coin collectors.
By 1932 British Gold Sovereigns were being minted in many of the realms territories, from Australia, to Canada and India, the popularity of these light weight bullion coins means large distribution was now necessary.
The Gold Sovereign, considered a ‘lightweight gold coin’ holds huge popularity amongst both investors and coin collectors. Also produced in even smaller denominations, most popular being the Half Sovereign, this also comes in a quarter sovereign and even quintuple sovereign.
Some Interesting Facts about the Gold Sovereign
• The modern Sovereign originates from a hammered gold coin minted for Henry VII in 1489.
• The sovereign was in circulation in the US till 1933.
• Not every date exists for gold sovereigns. The two most difficult to find are the years of 1957 and 1959 making them very attractive to collectors.
• Each year gold sovereigns are independently checked and verified by a ceremony called the Trial of the Pyx, a tradition dating back to 1282. The word 'pyx' means small box and it refers to the chests used to carry the coins back in the day.
• In 1817 the Sovereign entered circulation however it did not gain popularity straight away, production dropped from over 2 million coins to the mere 3500 in the following year.
• Sovereigns were used in kits of soldiers up till 1991 as a bargaining tool for their freedom when captured by the enemy.
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