Gold Sovereigns.

The sovereign was unique among coins in that it had no denomination, or currency value printed on the coin. Its value was tied to the pound Sterling, which was tied to the gold standard of £3/17s/10 1/2d for a standard ounce of gold. It contained one pound’s (£1) worth of gold (20 shillings), or, 22 carat gold weighing 0.2354 troy oz, a fraction under 1/4 oz. For this reason, it rapidly became an accepted and preferred means of payment by the various merchants around the world, such as the Chinese silk traders, American tobacco sellers and Indian spice merchants.
When the price of gold rose in the 1920s, the gold in sovereigns was worth more than the coin’s face value. This value rose to 28 shillings in 1932. In 1931 general production of sovereigns ceased worldwide, and 1933 was the first time in more than 100 years that no sovereigns were produced anywhere in the Empire.
Gold coins of Australia (1852 to 1931) were also struck from 22ct gold. The 1852 Adelaide Pound, Australia’s first gold coin, has an actual gold weight of 8.68 grams (Type 1) or 8.81 grams (Type 2). Australian Gold Sovereigns struck between 1855 and 1870 feature the “Sydney Mint” design. From 1871 through 1931, Imperial Sovereigns minted in Australia are identical to those struck elsewhere, except for the distinctive Sydney (S), Melbourne (M) or Perth (P) Mintmark. Australian Sovereigns are the rarest and most sought-after Sovereigns in the world today, with institutions such as Rothschilds in London taking the time to piece together a complete collection.
Sovereign Gold Coins are recognized worldwide and have been used as “emergency money” for decades. Allied World War II pilots carried British Gold Sovereigns in their survival kits. Even in Desert Storm, American pilots and British SAS troops carried these historic gold coins as their emergency money in case they were downed in Iraqi territory. Genuine Sovereign gold coins are private, portable, and offer you instant liquidity worldwide.

Gold Sovereign Mintages, from 1817 to Present.

Mintage figures do not always act as a guide to rarity for gold sovereigns, other factors must also be taken into account.
For example, in 1893 the Royal Mint undertook a policy of “continuous re-coinage” which meant old, worn and damaged sovereigns were “recycled” into new coins. Also in the 1930’s, the United States, having made ownership of foreign gold coins illegal, melted down and made into gold bars the huge volume of sovereigns it received from Britain and the Commonwealth countries as payment for supplies and munitions during World War I.

King George III gold sovereign.

YearBullionProof
18173,235,239Rare
18182,347,230Rare
18193,574
18202,101,994Rare

King George IV Laureate Head gold sovereign.

YearBullionProof
Sovereign coins 18219,405,114Rare
Sovereign coins 18226,356,787
Sovereign coins 1823616,770
Sovereign coins 18243,767,904
Sovereign coins 18254,200,343 *

King George IV Bare Head gold sovereign.

YearBullionProof
Sovereign coins 1825*Included In AboveRare
Sovereign coins 18265,724,046450
Sovereign coins 18272,266,629
Sovereign coins 1828386,182
Sovereign coins 18292,444,652
Sovereign coins 18302,387,881

King William IV gold sovereign.

YearBullionProof
1831598,547225
18323,737,065Rare
18331,225,269
1835723,441
18361,714,349
18371,172,984

Queen Victoria Young Head Shield gold sovereign.

1851 Queen Victoria Shield Reverse Sovereign

The Royal Mint issued the Shield Back gold sovereign from 1838 to 1887. Most of them have been melted down to produce new coins. In fact, it’s quite difficult to find this coin well preserved. The Melbourne and Sydney branches produced this shield back sovereign from 1871 to 1887. Gold Sovereign Victoria (Young Head – Shield Back)

YearBullionProof
Sovereign coins 18382,718,694Rare
Sovereign coins 1839503,6951,230
1841124,054
18424,865,375
18435,981,968
18443,000,445
18453,800,845
18463,802,947
18474,667,126
18482,246,701
18491,755,399
18501,402,039
18514,013,624
18528,053,435
185310,597,993Rare
18543,589,611
18558,448,482
18564,806,160
18574,495,748
1858803,234
18591,547,603
1859 Ansell167,539
18602,555,958
18617,624,736
18627,836,413
Die Numbers Introduced
18635,921,669
18648,656,353
18651,450,238
18664,047,288
18681,653,384
18696,441,322
18702,189,960

Queen Victoria Young Head St George gold sovereign.

The first portrait for Queen Victoria was the “Young Head”, which was used on sovereigns from 1838 to 1887 inclusive. It was refined and modified a number of times during this period. In the case of Shield reverse, the date appears below Victoria’s portrait (With the St George reverse, the date appears on the reverse. )

Queen Victoria”Young Head” St George Gold Sovereigns, Volume and Mint

YearLondonSydneyMelbourne
Sovereign coins 1871 Proof (1)Extremely Rare
Sovereign coins 18718,767,2502,814,000
Sovereign coins 187213,486,7081,815,000748,180
Sovereign coins 18732,368,2151,478,000752,199 (1)
Sovereign coins 1874520,7131,899,000 (1)1,373,298
Gold Full sovereign 18752,122,0001,888,405 (1)
Gold Full sovereign 18763,318,866 (1)1,613,000 (1)2,124,445 (1)
Gold Full sovereign 18771,590,0001,487,316 (1)
Gold Full sovereign 18781,091,275 (1)1,259,0002,171,457 (1)
Gold Full sovereign 187920,013 (1)1,366,0002,740,594 (1)
Gold Full sovereign 18803,650,080 (1)1,459,0003,053,454
Gold Full sovereign 18811,360,0002,234,800
Gold Full sovereign 18821,298,0002,465,781
Gold Full sovereign 18831,108,0002,050,450
Gold Full sovereign 18841,769,635 (1)1,595,0002,942,630
Gold Full sovereign 1885717,723 (1)1,486,0002,967,143
Gold Full sovereign 18861,667,0002,902,131
Gold Full sovereign 18871,000,0001,916,424
 (1) St George Reverse Only
Introduction of St George Reverse, mintage figures indicate total for both types issued, no separate figures were kept. London only issued both types until 1874 whilst the branch mints continued until 1887

Queen Victoria Jubilee Head gold sovereign.

A special Sovereign was issued for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria. This was a little staider and more conventional than the Young Head Sovereign. This was struck at both the London and the Australian mints. Queen Victoria ” Jubilée Head ” Gold Sovereigns. Gold Victoria Jubilee Head Sovereign coins

YearLondonSydneyMelbourne
Gold Full sovereign 1887 Proof797Extremely Rare
Gold Full sovereign 18871,111,2801,002,000940,000
Gold Full sovereign 18882,777,4242,187,0002,830,612
Gold Full sovereign 18897,267,4553,262,0002,732,590
Gold Full sovereign 18906,529,8872,808,0002,473,537
Gold Full sovereign 18916,329,4762,596,0002,749,592
Gold Full sovereign 18927,104,7202,837,0003,488,750
Gold Full sovereign 18931,498,0001,649,352
Jubilee Issues only have St George Reverse

Queen Victoria Veiled Head gold sovereign.

The Victoria “Older Head” or “Veiled Head” Sovereigns had an elegant head engraved on her sovereigns and this was used until her death in 1901. In 1896, Queen Victoria became the longest reigning Monarch in English History. This event was put off at her request until 1897 to coincide with her Diamond Jubilee. Victoria Veiled Head Gold Sovereign

YearLondonSydneyMelbournePerth
Gold Full sovereigns 1893 Proof773Rare
Gold Full sovereigns 18936,898,2601,346,0001,914,4000
Gold Full sovereigns 18943,782,6113,067,0004,166,8740
Gold Full sovereigns 18952,285,3172,758,0004,165,8690
Gold Full sovereigns 18963,334,0652,544,0004,456,9320
Gold Full sovereigns 18972,532,0005,130,5650
Gold Full sovereigns 18984,361,3472,548,0005,509,1380
Gold Full sovereigns 18997,515,9783,259,0005,579,157694,937
Gold Full sovereigns 190010,845,7413,586,0004,305,9041,927,484
Gold Full sovereigns 19011,578,9483,012,0003,987,7012,969,947

King Edward VII gold sovereign.

The Sovereign had a value of £1 sterling (the equivalent at the time of the value of the gold in the coin.) Each coin weighed 0.2354 troy oz just under ¼ of an ounce. Edward VII Sovereigns were minted from Queen Victorias Death until 1910.
The Australian Sovereigns bore the usual mintmarks of S for Sydney, M for Melbourne and P for Perth. The Gold Sovereign was popular in commerce in all countries where the British traded. Edward VII Gold Sovereigns

YearLondonSydneyMelbournePerthCanada
Gold Full sovereigns 1902 Proof15,123Extremely RareExtremely Rare
Gold Full sovereigns 19024,737,7962,813,0004,267,1574,254,861
Gold Full sovereigns 19038,888,6272,806,0003,521,7804,678,569
Gold Full sovereigns 190410,041,3692,986,0003,743,8974,596,205
Gold Full sovereigns 19055,910,4032,778,0003,633,8384,854,698
Gold Full sovereigns 190610,466,9812,792,0003,657,8534,803,230
Gold Full sovereigns 190718,458,6632,539,0003,332,6915,028,807
Gold Full sovereigns 190811,729,0062,017,0003,080,1484,926,537633 (1)
Gold Full sovereigns 190912,157,0992,057,0003,029,5384,526,27016,300*
Gold Full sovereigns 191022,379,6242,135,0003,054,5475,646,04928,020*
 (1) Satin Proofs only, extremely rare.

King George V gold sovereign.

Struck between 1911 and 1936, this George V gold coin reached 123 million copies produced. Like all sovereigns, this gold coin weighs 7.99 grams for 22 mm in diameter, its fine gold titration is 917‰. This currency was minted in the workshops of London, Australia (Sydney, Melbourne and Perth), Ottawa in Canada and South Africa and finally India. George V Gold Sovereign Coins

YearLondonSydneyMelbournePerthCanadaSouth AfricaIndia
Gold Full sovereigns 1911 Proof3,764Extremely Rare
Gold Full sovereigns 191130,044,1052,519,0002,851,4513,413,474257,048
Gold Full sovereigns 191230,317,9212,227,0002,469,2574,390,672
Gold Full sovereigns 191324,539,6722,249,0002,323,1804,689,7493,717*
Gold Full sovereigns 191411,501,1171,774,0002,012,0294,771,65714,900*
Gold Full sovereigns 191520,295,2801,346,0001,637,8394,334,135
Gold Full sovereigns 19161,554,1201,242,0001,272,6344,107,7056,119 *
Gold Full sovereigns 19171,014,7141,667,000934,4694,116,84058,875*
Gold Full sovereigns 19183,716,0004,969,493 (1)3,725,961106,5701,294,352
Gold Full sovereigns 19191,835,000514,2572,852,156135,957
Gold Full sovereigns 1920360,000530,2662,533,542
Gold Full sovereigns 1921839,000240,1212,320,530
Gold Full sovereigns 1922578,000608,3062,256,187
Gold Full sovereigns 1923 Proof655*
Gold Full sovereigns 1923416,000511,1292,129,026719*
Gold Full sovereigns 1924394,000278,1401,428,9842,660*
Gold Full sovereigns 19253,520,000 (2)5,632,0003,311,6621,868,0076,086,624
Gold Full sovereigns 19261,031,050211,1071,297,62511,107,611
Gold Full sovereigns 1927310,1561,305,42016,379,704
Gold Full sovereigns 1928413,2081,399,10218,235,057
 (1) 5 Different guides have five different figures ranging between 4,807,000 to 4,969,000.
(2) See George VI bullion issues for additional numbers
YearMelbournePerthSouth Africa
Gold Full sovereigns 1929436,938 (3)1,588,35012,024,107
Gold Full sovereigns 193077,5881,773,91410,027,756
Gold Full sovereigns 193157,8091,173,5678,511,792
Gold Full sovereigns 19321,066,680

King George VI gold sovereign.

King George VI gold sovereigns were minted between 1937 and 1952. The coin features the portrait of King George VI on the obverse and the classic St. George and the Dragon design on the reverse. Like all sovereigns, the coin weighs 7.99 grams with a diameter of 22 mm and a fine gold content of 917‰. The mintage figures for King George VI sovereigns vary depending on the year and mint, with some issues being quite rare. The London mint and several other branches, including Australia, South Africa, and Canada, produced these gold coins.

YearBullionProof
1937 (sovereigns 1925 restrikes)5,501
1949 (sovereigns 1925 restrikes)138,000 (1)
1951 (sovereigns 1925 restrikes)430,000 (1)
1952 (sovereigns 1925 restrikes)318,000 (1)
 (1) George VI bullion issues are all 1925 restrikes, which dismayed collectors of the time as it was considered scarce until then.

Queen Elizabeth II gold sovereign.

In 1957 the Royal Mint began producing gold sovereigns again to meet world demand and stop counterfeit production which had become rife since the Royal Mint had stopped production in 1917. They were not however reintroduced into everyday circulation. Prior to 1979 only gold bullion coins had been issued and it was in this year that the first gold proof sovereigns were issued.  Between the years of 1983 and 1999 the Royal mint ceased producing gold bullion sovereigns and only minted gold proof sovereigns. Gold bullion sovereigns were re-introduced in 2000.

Queen Elizabeth II Young Head gold sovereign.

YearBullionProof
Gold Full sovereigns 1953None for Collectors
Gold Full sovereigns 19572,072,000Rare
Gold Full sovereigns 19588,700,140Rare
Gold Full sovereigns 19591,358,228Rare
Gold Full sovereigns 19623,000,000
Gold Full sovereigns 19637,400,000
Gold Full sovereigns 19643,000,000
Gold Full sovereigns 19653,800,000
Gold Full sovereigns 19667,050,000
Gold Full sovereigns 19675,000,000
Gold Full sovereigns 19684,203,000

Queen Elizabeth II Decimal Portrait gold sovereign.

YearBullionProof
Gold Full sovereigns 19745,002,5660
Gold Full sovereigns 19764,045,00560
Gold Full sovereigns 19786,550,0000
Gold Full sovereigns 19799,100,00050,000
Gold Full sovereigns 19805,100,00091,200
Gold Full sovereigns 19815,000,00032,960
Gold Full sovereigns 19822,950,00022,250
Gold Full sovereigns 1983021,250
Gold Full sovereigns 1984019,975
Proof mintages above include coins issued as part of gold sets as well as those individually issued.
Arnold Machin Obverse.

Queen Elizabeth II Third Portrait gold sovereign.

YearNo Bullion IssuesProof
198517,242
198617,579
198722,479
198818,862
198923,471
19908,425
19917,201
19926,904
19936,090
19947,165
19959,330
19969,110
19979,177
Proof mintages above include coins issued as part of gold sets as well as those individually issued.
Raphael Maklouf Obverse.

Queen Elizabeth II Old Head gold sovereign.

YearBullionProof
199811,349
199911,903
2000129,06912,159
200149,46210,806
200275,26419,440
200343,23016,220
200430,68812,685
200545,52415,458
200675,00015,000
Proof mintages above include coins issued as part of gold sets as well as those individually issued

Production at the Royal Mint stopped in 1917, although some were minted again in 1925. The branch mints continued to produce sovereigns, Ottawa in Canada until 1919, Bombay in India in 1918, Sydney Australia until 1926, Melbourne and Perth Australia until 1931, and Pretoria South Africa until 1932.

The Gold Sovereign is a highly collectable investment coin.  Introduced in Britain in 1489 at the request of King Henry VII, the modern version first appeared in 1817 featuring the now iconic image of St George slaying the dragon engraved on the reverse. Today’s sovereign contains 0.235421 ounces (7.315 grams)of gold and is sought after the world over.

History of the Sovereign from 1489 to the modern day.

The first gold sovereign was struck in 1489 for the then King Henry VII. It depicted Henry VII on the obverse and a Tudor rose and the royal shield on the reverse. No value was shown on the coin. Sovereigns continued to be issued by monarchs up until the end of Elizabeth I’s reign in 1603. The name sovereign is thought to originate from the fact that the reigning sovereign always appeared on the obverse of the coin. The name was also thought to derive from the fact that Henry VII wanted to demonstrate Britain’s power and splendour.

The first modern Sovereign.

Pistrucci’s George and Dragon design

Pistrucci‘s original sketch depicted the Saint George and Dragon design, which would later feature on the reverse of the sovereign. The design shows Saint George on horseback, with his left hand holding the horse’s bridle and his right hand wielding a sword. He wears minimal armor, with only his lower legs and feet protected, and a helmet that has a plume of hair flowing behind on early issues. The knight is cloaked in a chlamys, which is fastened by a fibula, and his right shoulder has a balteus for suspending the gladius, the sword he grasps. Surprisingly, Saint George is depicted as naked except for the armor, which John Ruskin, an art critic, later found odd. The horse appears to be both attacking and retreating from the dragon, which is wounded by the knight’s spear and is shown in its death throes.

The sovereign is a gold coin that replaced the guinea, and Pistrucci‘s design was adopted for its reverse. Originally, the design featured the saintly knight carrying a broken spear, but this was later changed to a sword, and the plume of hair behind George’s helmet was removed in 1821. The design was modified several times in later years, with the plume being restored, modified, and eliminated at various points.

Pistrucci’s design is in the Neoclassical style, which was popular in London at the time. He may have been influenced by the Elgin Marbles, which were on display from 1807 and which he likely saw soon after arriving in London. The sovereign’s design is unique among British coins of the 19th century in that it does not feature a heraldic design, as Pole wanted it to look distinct from the guinea.

Gold sovereigns were re-introduced as legal tender in 1817 as part of a major coin reform led by the then Master of the Royal Mint, William Wellesley Pole. A young Italian engraver, Benedetto Pistrucci, was appointed to create the reverse design of the new sovereign coming up with the beautiful image of St George slaying the dragon. This design has seen many alterations over the years but is essentially the same.  As a testament to its greatness, it still appears on sovereigns today. Other reverse designs have at times been used during the reigns of William IV, Victoria, George IV and Elizabeth II. A royal shield design, as used on the first sovereign of 1489, has often been used in various different formats. The obverse of the sovereign followed the trend established for the original sovereigns and portrayed an image of the reigning monarch which remains the case even today.

The gold sovereign in Circulation years (1817–1914)

Gold sovereigns were withdrawn from circulation at the start of World War I in 1914 although production continued at the Royal Mint until 1917. They however continued to be produced in other mints of the British Empire but at lower quantities than before.  Sovereigns not produced at the Royal Mint in London carry a mintmark to show which mint they were produced in. Production of sovereigns in other mints stopped in 1932.

1989
To celebrate the 500th anniversary, a special 500 commemorative design was produced, showing Queen Elizabeth II seated facing on a throne. This was only issued as a proof and demand  has grown steadily over the past few years, because as a single-date type coin, it is in demand by both date collectors and type collectors.

2005 – New Modernistic design.
In 2005, the Royal Mint issued another new sovereign designed by Timothy Noad a herald painter at the Royal College of Arms actually a modernistic version of Saint George slaying the dragon with the shield as a focal point. This coin was issued in both normal circulation (bullion) and proof versions for 2005 only

2007 – 2010.

The Royal Mint have used re-cut dies to take the design back almost two centuries to portray Pistrucci’s St. George and the dragon in its neo-Classical glory

Types of Sovereign.

Aside from the full sovereign, the Royal Mint today produces the following sovereigns in gold proof and gold bullion versions for general sale: quintuple (£5) sovereign, double (£2) sovereign, half sovereign and for the first time ever, 2009 saw the general release of a quarter sovereign.

Sovereign designs and dates.

MonarchObverse designReverse designDates
George IIILaureate headSt George and the dragon1817-1820
George IVLaureate headSt George and the dragon1821-1825
George IVBare headShield1825-1830
William IVBare headShield1831-1833, 1835-1837
VictoriaYoung HeadShield1838-1839, 1841-1866, 1868-1887
VictoriaYoung HeadSt George and the dragon1871-1887
VictoriaJubilee HeadSt George and the dragon1887-1893
VictoriaOld HeadSt George and the dragon1893-1901
Edward VIIBare headSt George and the dragon1902-1910
George VFirst Type (large head)St George and the dragon1911-1928
George VSecond Type (small head)St George and the dragon1929-1932
George VIBare headSt George and the dragon1937 coronation proof set only
Elizabeth IIFirst portraitSt George and the dragon1957-1959, 1962-1968
Elizabeth IISecond portraitSt George and the dragon1974, 1976, 1978-1984
Elizabeth IIThird portraitSt George and the dragon1985-1988, 1990-1997
Elizabeth IISovereign portraitShield and Tudor rose1989
Elizabeth IIFourth portraitSt George and the dragon1998-2001, 2003, 2004, 2006-2009
Elizabeth IIFourth portraitShield2002 Jubilee
Elizabeth IIFourth portraitModern St George and the dragon2005

Technical specifications of modern sovereigns (post 1817)

Quintuple sovereignDouble sovereignSovereignHalf SovereignQuarter sovereign
Purity22 carat gold22 carat gold22 carat gold22 carat gold22 carat gold
Weight (grams)39.9415.987.993.991.997
Diameter (mm)36.0228.4022.0519.3013.50
Actual gold content (troy ounces)1.17710.47080.23540.11770.0588

Gold sovereigns, to invest or not to invest?

As one of the oldest coins in the world the British gold sovereign is highly sought after by both investors and numismatists alike. As with all gold coins, the price of sovereigns fluctuates with the price of gold due to the gold content of the coin. However, the price of sovereigns is not entirely based on its gold content alone.  British gold sovereigns generally fetch a higher premium than the price of gold for the same gold content. For example, the 2009 gold proof sovereign retails at about £299 for 0.23 ounces of gold. The current price of an ounce of gold is around £680 therefore the price for 0.235 ounces is around the £160 mark. Therefore the 2009 sovereign is worth almost twice as much as the price of gold.

The premium of a sovereign obviously depends on its quality and whether it is easily available or not.  Some sovereigns fetch a much higher premium than others.

Whilst there is no official grading system in existence, sovereigns are generally graded in the following manner in the UK:

  • FDC/proof – perfect quality
  • UNC – uncirculated
  • EF – extra fine
  • VF – very fine
  • F – fine

Are older sovereigns worth more?

Whilst older sovereigns were produced in much larger quantities than those produced today it is much more difficult to source a good quality sovereign from these times. Sovereigns from the reigns of George III, George IV and William IV are extremely rare in good quality

  • EF quality coins can be found but are quite rare and as such would fetch a high premium. 
  • FDC and UNC coins are extremely rare for these periods and when sold fetch very high premiums. 

A George IV sovereign from 1825 made £14950 in a sale in March 2004. Early Victorian shield sovereigns are also highly sought after and therefore an EF quality coin would fetch a high premium whilst extremely rare FDC and UNC coins would fetch incredibly high premiums. Later Victorian sovereigns are less rare than the earlier coins in good condition, however they are again fairly rare in top condition therefore sovereigns of UNC and FDC grade would fetch a high premium.

Edward VII and George V sovereigns are also fairly easy to obtain in EF condition and were produced in very large numbers so do not fetch such a high premium.  As with later Victorian sovereigns, it is more difficult to find UNC and FDC grade coins and these would therefore fetch a higher premium. 

No sovereigns were issued for Edward VIII; however, a few official pattern coins were produced. If any of these were ever to be sold, they would fetch an incredibly high price due to their extreme rarity. 

During the reign of George VI, no sovereigns were issued apart from a very limited number of collectors sets to commemorate his coronation. This was a gold proof set and as such can be found today in FDC condition. This set would today fetch around double the price of a 2009 4-piece gold proof set. 

When gold sovereigns were reintroduced during the reign of Elizabeth II, they were produced at much lower quantities than for other monarchs as they were no longer in everyday circulation. However, despite the fact that much fewer coins were produced they were all of FDC or UNC quality.

The majority of coins were released during Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and are not difficult to find in top condition. For this reason, they fetch a lower premium than UNC or FDC coins from earlier periods, although they are still worth investing in as they do fetch a higher premium than the price of gold and are likely to become more sought after in the future.

Certain sovereigns are much rarer than others, some that are worth looking out for include: 

  • 1817 sovereign – the first modern sovereign and any other UNC or FDC coins from the reigns of George II, George IV and William IV (or even EF graded sovereigns from these periods),
  • 1838 the first Queen Victoria sovereign,
  • 1841 the rarest Queen Victoria sovereign,
  • 1917 London minted sovereign (very few in existence as it was the year London stopped producing sovereigns)
  • Elizabeth II sovereigns the 1989 special commemorative 500th anniversary sovereign.  

British sovereigns are an excellent investment choice and will continue to be so. For as long as Britain keeps its currency, it seems inevitable that the Royal Mint will continue issuing sovereigns every year for collectors, investors and enthusiasts.  However, if the UK joined the Euro would this signal the end for this iconic coin? If that were the case gold sovereigns would surely become more sought after than ever and consequently represent an even greater investment opportunity.

How to spot a fake.

Many fake sovereigns have been produced over the years.  In order to avoid buying a fake you should always buy from a reputable source. We have however, created a list of key things to look out for to avoid buying a sovereign forgery:

Buying Sovereigns on ebay these days is a very risky business, if you know nothing about them. The number of fakes is staggering, and is better and safer to buy only from good dealers such as chards. Assuming the sovereign was issued in a valid year and valid mint, it is sufficient to verify its authenticity by the three measurables: weight, diameter and thickness?
Sorry, that is not correct many years ago yes, but not now. There are some very dangerous fakes out there, that are so good, even top experts have been caught out. I have collected these pieces for over 40 years, and consider myself to be pretty good at spotting them, but even NGC and PCG slabbing have been caught out. weight diameter and thickness and mint mark are the basic tests, but there is a lot more then that believe me. Unless you know what to look for in a genuine Sovereign, buy only from such as Chards, and other good top bullion dealers. But always remember, even the best can slip up, people are only human, but at least they will replace it if found to be fake.
  • The feel of the coin – fakes are often very smooth or can have sharp edges
  • Be wary of coins that are too shiny and where the details are blurred. It’s the sign that they have been cleaned and worn away some gold
  • Dates – check for missing dates or check that sovereigns were actually produced in the year stated in the design shown
  • Mintmarks – if there is no mintmark check that the London mint produced sovereigns in that year, if there is a mintmark check that the mint in question produced sovereigns in that year
  • Weight, size and depth – check these correspond with official figure

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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