1885 Gold Sovereign « Victoria DEI GRATIA » with St George Back.

The sovereign 1885 is a British gold coin minted under the reign of Queen Victoria in London, also struck at the colonial Australian branch mints in Melbourne and Sydney. The 1885 Queen Victoria “Young Head” Gold Sovereigns, (originally a circulating coin, now a bullion coin) are now VAT free in UK and provided they were minted after 1817 and a legal tender coin, free from Capital Gains Tax for UK residents. They also are VAT free in European Union, the sovereigns meeting the criteria established in Article 344(1), point (2) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC of 28 November 2006 (special scheme for investment gold). The 1885 Young Head sovereign were minted with 2 different reverses: Shield and St. George.

Mint markMintMintage
LLondon717,723
MMelbourne, Australia2,967,143
SSydney, Australia1,486,000
 Total5.170.866
Diameter (mm)Weight (gr)Thickness (mm)
22,05 mmGross weight: 7,99 Gr
Fine Gold: 7,32 Gr – 0.2354 troy ounce.
1,52 mm
Edge and Orientation.Millesimal fineness.Composition.
➣ Reeded / Milled
➣ Medal alignment ↑
22 carats; 917 ‰91.67% gold and 8.33% Copper.
Mint and MintmarkFinancial FeaturesMintage.
« The Royal Mint » London and Australia mints.Type: bullion coin.
Production Years: 1817–present.
Legal tender in the United Kingdom, value £1 = 20 shillings.
1885 with 5.170.866 bullion coins.
Specifications for the Gold Sovereign 1885.
Reverse: Portrait by William Wyon. Matte background with matte bust of queen Victoria facing left. VICTORIA D:G: BRITANNIAR REG: FID:DEF:” Translated from Latin: Victoria by the Grace of God King of the Britons, Defender of the Faith.)
Obverse:Benedetto Pistrucci’s St George on horseback slaying the dragon right; 1885 and B.P. in exergue inscribed at the bottom.

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A relatively flat design allows the young head obverse to show little wear. The mains point to check for strike & wear are :

  • The hair juste on the double ribbon,
  • The hair above the ear,
  • The knotted bun area,
  • The peaks of the eyebrow,
  • As always, the rims and fields.

When collectors examine a sovereign with the St George reverse, there are a certain number of points which are examined closely for strike & wear. From top to bottom, they are:

  • The crest of St George’s helmet;
  • St George’s chest, together with the strap & pin fastening his cloak;
  • The bridle as it crosses the horse’s neck;
  • The muscle separation in St George’s upper thigh;
  • The horse’s forequarters & rump;
  • The “bloodline” in the sword;
  • The upper band across St George’s boot;
  • The dragon’s torso below it’s neck.
Specifications
Composition :91.67% Gold
8.33% Copper
Gold Content :0.2354 oz
Edge: Reeded
Weight :7.9881 grams
Size :21.5 mm
Reverse Jean Baptiste Merlen
Obverse: William Wyon

By Alexandre Laurent

Alexandre Laurentl is working in the jewelry and investment gold since 2002. Alexandre graduated from The Normandy School of Business and from the University of Perpignan a Bachelor of economics in 1995.

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