British Sovereign Gold Coin

The history of the Royal British Mint is long and complicated. Despite the nearly one-thousand years of minting excellence, a few coins from Great Britain’s national mint are clear standouts. While the Gold Britannia and other classic British bullion pieces are ever-popular products, few coins have the stellar reputation of the Gold British Sovereign. The coin features a monarch’s portrait on the obverse and a beautiful action scene on the reverse side, and its high gold purity makes the piece an excellent choice for precious metal stackers. 

What makes the British Sovereign Gold Coin so popular with collectors? The coin’s interesting history, culturally significant designs, and historical value appreciation all contribute to its sustained success among gold investors. Today’s guide is all about the British Sovereign Gold Coin, one of Britain’s most resounding successes in the world of precious metals. 

History of the Sovereign 

The Sovereign is one of the oldest circulation bullion coins on the market. Its first release came in 1817, and the British government’s main goal with the coin was to promote the use of their own national currency in international trade. Below, we’re going to explore the exciting history of the British Sovereign Gold Coin. 

Origin and Introduction 

Like we mentioned above, the British Sovereign Gold Coin was minted primarily to encourage the use of British currency in the empire’s various territories. But there’s another important reason why the Gold Sovereign first made its way onto the global coinage state – and it has a lot to do with denominations. Previously, the main bullion coin used in the British Empire was the guinea, which was worth 21 shillings. 

The uneven denomination of the guinea was, for obvious reasons, inconvenient. Instead, mint advocates believed that a one pound denomination would be more helpful for facilitating trade. There was still one obstacle in the way before the British Sovereign Gold Coin would become a popular currency in Britain: the one pound note. Just like in the United States, people in Britain tended to prefer the convenience of traditional bank notes. But when British law limited the number of one pound bank notes that could be circulated each year, this competition vanished – and the British Sovereign Gold Coin became a popular choice for consumers. 

Variations Over Time

Unlike some official government coins, the British Sovereign Gold Coin has changed its design over time. Each coin features the current monarch of Great Britain, meaning that a new sovereign coin will definitely come out each time the crown is passed from one leader to another. The reverse-side design of the British Sovereign Gold Coin has also shifted over the years. During some periods, the coin featured a static design, such as a shield of wreath. Other coins in the series highlight an action shot, such as the 1817 depiction of “Saint George and the Dragon” frequently featured on sovereigns from that era. 

Role in the British Empire

The British Sovereign Gold Coin was extremely important to the establishment of a lasting system of British bullion currency. What role did the British Sovereign Gold Coin play in the British Empire? As Britain’s global empire continued to grow, it became a goal of the British Royal Mint to facilitate the popularity of their own convenient bullion coin for use in trade. The Sovereign was their answer to this problem; it replaced the guinea, which traded for an inconvenient sum of 21 shillings. 

Sovereigns Vs. Other coins 

There are several aspects of the British Sovereign Gold Coin that differentiate it from other popular gold coins. To start, the coin features a lower gold purity than some other precious metal products. Most Gold Sovereigns feature .917 fine gold bullion; this amounts to .2354 troy ounces of pure gold. While other globally popular gold coins feature static obverse and reverse designs, the Gold Sovereign has changed over the years. 

On the obverse, you’ll always find the current monarch of Great Britain. For many years in recent bullion history, the coin has featured Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait. In the future, this will no longer be the case; King Charles III is the new monarch of Britain, and his own visage will likely appear on future editions of the British Sovereign Gold Coin. 

Key Historical Events

Throughout the mintage run of the British Sovereign Gold coin, transitions of power have been extremely important. Whenever a new monarch is crowned as the King or Queen of Great Britain, their portrait replaces the previous image on the obverse of every British Sovereign Gold Coin. These historical events aren’t just important for the global economy and political scene, but they also play an essential role in the designs of coins around the world. 

Throughout the history of the coin, mint designers have also altered the appearance of the reverse of the British Sovereign Gold Coin. Collectors generally love to stack British Sovereign Gold Coins, and part of the reason why is because of their ever-changing designs. 

Design and Specifications 

Let’s take a closer look at the details that characterize the British Sovereign Gold Coin. Obverse and reverse images, the iconic St. George design on the reverse, the coin’s weight and dimensions, and its gold content all play important roles in the popularity of this classic British bullion coin. 

Obverse and Reverse Images

Like we mentioned earlier in this guide, British Sovereign Gold Coins feature a variety of obverse and reverse designs. We don’t quite have time to run through all of the coin’s designs in the space we have on this page, but it’s worth noting a few key details about what all of these pieces have in common. 

The obverse of every coin in this storied series features the current monarch of Great Britain. As you might expect, this means that the obverse doesn’t change super frequently. One very notable change happened earlier this year. Since King Charles III was crowned the new King of England, his face now appears on all releases of the Gold Sovereign. The most recent artwork of Britain’s king shows him at his current age and wearing the royal crown. His royal title appears on both sides of his face. 

While we’ve already mentioned that reverse-side depictions occasionally change on this historically significant coin, most designs feature an action image of St. George. We’ll cover this classic artwork more in the next section. 

Iconic St. George Design 

Saint George is a hero frequently celebrated in Christian folklore. As legend has it, he slayed a dragon in order to protect a group of villagers that it had been harassing. The story has origins outside of the Christian tradition; the stories of Typhon, Perseus and Andromeda, and Jason and Medea are all considered important historical precursors to the tale of Saint George and the dragon. 

The action shot of Saint George fighting the dragon was initially designed by mint artist Benedetto Petrucci in 1817 and has appeared on British Sovereign Gold Coins quite a few times throughout history. He wears a full set of armor and rides on his horse, rearing up to stab the pinned dragon with a sword. This unique artwork is rendered in exceptional detail – especially on contemporary editions of the Gold Sovereign. 

Weight and Dimensions 

The one GBP denomination of the British Sovereign Gold Coin weighs 7.98805 grams and contains .2354 troy ounces of pure gold bullion. Most collectors aren’t particularly concerned with the dimensions of their gold coins, but we thought we’d include a bit of information about this coin’s build anyway. The piece offers a diameter of 22 millimeters and a thickness of 1.52 mm. Sovereigns of different denominations weigh more, so it’s important for collectors to check out the details of their coin before purchasing. 

Fineness and Gold Content

Each coin contains .917 fine gold bullion, which amounts to a total of .2354 troy ounces. As we mentioned above, the exact weight – and the gold content – of a coin will vary based on its size and denomination. 

Collecting British Sovereigns 

Gold stackers all over the world love the look and feel of the British Sovereign. Why are British Sovereign Gold Coins so popular? We’ll outline four main reasons why these coins are so popular below: rarity and mintage numbers, grading and valuation, investment outlook, and collectability. In addition, we’ll outline a few small tips for collectors who are interested in building their portfolio with quality British Sovereign Gold Coins. 

Rarity and Mintage Numbers

“Strike-on-the-day” British Sovereign Gold Coin mintage numbers are notoriously low. A “strike-on-the-day” coin is struck on a specific day to commemorate a special event, person, or moment in British history. 

This makes them a rare commodity, especially compared to some of the world’s other popular national coins. During certain years, coins might be minted less than 500 times. Take, for instance, the 2014 Prince George of Wales 1st Birthday Gold Sovereign. Only 398 of these coins were ever produced – and they’ll never be minted again. These rare coins tend to appreciate considerably in value over time. 

Regular British Sovereign Gold Coins tend to be relatively rare, but they don’t quite have the limited mintage of the British Royal Mint’s “strike-on-the-day” pieces. 

Grading and Valuation 

British Sovereigns will always be worth more if they’re kept in excellent condition. The pieces are sold through either the British Royal Mint or its authorized distributors. Wherever you buy your Gold Sovereigns from, they’ll arrive in Brilliant Uncirculated (BU) condition. If your coins aren’t properly stored or are damaged during transit, they’ll lose value quickly. 

Even old British Sovereigns are sold at least partially based on their grading and valuation. Numismatic coins that have been circulated are graded differently than uncirculated coins, so it’s important to get your coins professionally graded before trying to sell them on the secondary market. 

Sovereigns as Investments 

British Sovereign Gold Coins have long been an important investment tool for gold stackers. The coins offer a long history of popularity, and their designs feature some of the most important people, moments, and events in British history. If you’re a fan of collecting coins from the British Royal Mint, the Gold Sovereign is an excellent place to start. 

The gold content inside of each British Gold Sovereign is an important part of its popularity with collectors. When the value of gold increases, expect your .917 gold coins to become more expensive as well. And when gold’s market busts, sovereign coins will become much cheaper. If you’re looking to invest, your goal is to secure these coins for as close to spot price as possible. Sellers should wait until the value of gold peaks before letting go of these numismatically valuable gold bullion coins. 

Popular Collectors’ Items 

Collectors who appreciate the look and feel of a British Sovereign Gold Coin don’t tend to stop with one. Collecting these coins can become addicting, considering their historical importance and various obverse/reverse designs. Some collectors prefer to collect Sovereigns from various different points in British history. In fact, you might secure more money for your British Sovereign Gold Coin if you look for investors looking to complete their collection. 

Tips for Collectors

Our tips for investing in British Sovereign Gold Coins closely mirror our advice for investing in any British gold bullion coin. Your goal should always be to use research to get the cheapest coin possible without compromising on condition or authenticity. Shop around multiple dealers before deciding which one to do business with. 

Final Thoughts: British Sovereign Gold Coins

There’s a reason why the British Sovereign Gold Coin has become a premier investment vehicle for gold collectors all around the world. These coins are historically significant and feature some of the most brilliant designs ever unveiled by the renowned British Royal Mint. 

Hero Bullion is excited to offer several British Sovereign Gold Coins to our customers. We’re also always happy to help new investors better understand their options for purchasing gold coins, so feel free to reach out with any questions you may have. 

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