Great Britain Gold Sovereign Coin | Any Type

A Gold Sovereign, Monarch and Year Our Choice

This listing is a British gold Sovereign of any date, monarch or type, chosen from the stock we have when your order ships. Every Sovereign holds 0.2354 troy ounces of gold in a 22 karat coin weighing about 7.98 grams. Which king or queen, which year and which mint are decided by what is on hand. The gold content is the same in all of them.

 

The Pound Made Gold

The modern Sovereign dates from 1817. The guinea had been Britain’s main gold coin, but it was worth an awkward 21 shillings, and the Master of the Mint, William Wellesley Pole, brought back the Sovereign at a round 20 shillings, one pound. Benedetto Pistrucci designed its St George and the dragon. Sovereigns were later struck at mints in Australia, Canada, South Africa and India, and by 1900 about forty percent of the Sovereigns in Britain had been minted in Australia. The Royal Mint calls it the “chief coin of the world.”

 

Not Struck Without a Break

The Sovereign left circulation in Britain with the First World War in 1914, and the Royal Mint stopped striking it in London in 1917. The colonial mints carried on until 1932. Demand from the Middle East brought it back, and the Royal Mint began striking new Sovereigns in 1957. They have been made as bullion coins since then, so a Sovereign can be more than a century old or only a few years old.

 

Which Sovereign You Might Get

Most Sovereigns carry Pistrucci’s St George, but not every one. In 1825 the Royal Mint replaced it with the Royal Arms on a shield, and St George only returned in 1871. Shield-back Sovereigns were struck in London until 1874 and in Australia until 1887, so a Victorian or earlier coin may show the shield, not St George. A few modern years, including 1989, 2002, 2005, 2012 and 2022, replaced Pistrucci’s design for an anniversary or jubilee. Portraits run from Queen Victoria through Edward VII, George V, George VI and Queen Elizabeth II to King Charles III, and coins from Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and the other branch mints carry a small mint mark.

 

Worn, Toned or Bright

Condition varies with the coin’s age and history. An older Sovereign may show wear from decades in circulation, while a recent bullion strike can look close to new. Early Australian Sovereigns were alloyed with more silver than London’s, so some look paler than a London coin. Dates cannot be requested, and neither can monarch, mint, reverse type or condition.

 

Gold Sovereign Specifications

Each Sovereign weighs about 7.98 grams of 22 karat gold, .9167 fine, and contains 0.2354 troy ounces of pure gold. It is about 22 mm across with a reeded edge, and its face value is one pound. Full current details are on the Specifications tab.

 

Gold Sovereign FAQ

 

How much gold is in a Sovereign?

0.2354 troy ounces of pure gold. The coin weighs about 7.98 grams in all, since it is 22 karat gold, 91.67% pure, with the rest copper or other metals.

 

Can I choose the monarch or the year?

No. We fill each order from the Sovereigns in stock, and the monarch, date, mint, reverse and condition cannot be requested.

 

Will my Sovereign show St George and the dragon?

Most likely, but not certainly. Many Sovereigns from 1825 to the 1870s carried a shield of the Royal Arms, and a few modern anniversary years used other reverse designs.

 

Why is a Sovereign 22 karat and not 24?

The weight and fineness were set in 1817 for a coin meant to circulate, and the Royal Mint has kept the same standard since. Every Sovereign carries the same 0.2354 ounces of gold whatever its age.

 

Why was the Sovereign called the chief coin of the world?

It was accepted in trade far beyond Britain, and the Royal Mint credits the name to the coin’s accuracy and reliability.

 

Prefer a modern ounce of British gold? See the British 1 oz Gold Britannia Coin.

 

Two centuries of the pound in gold, monarch our choice. Add the Great Britain Gold Sovereign Coin, Any Type, to your cart.