Three Gold Sovereigns with a Krugerrand

A Gold Sovereign is a British gold coin, first issued in 1489 for Henry VII, generally with a value of one pound sterling. The name "sovereign" related to the majestic and impressive size and portraiture of the coin, the earliest of which showed the king facing, seated on a throne, while the reverse shows the Royal coat of arms on a shield surrounded by a Tudor double rose. These original sovereigns were 23 carat (96%) gold and weighed 240 grains or one-half of a troy ounce (15.6 grams). Henry VIII reduced the purity to 22 carats (92%), which eventually became the standard; the weight of the sovereign was repeatedly lowered until when it was revived after the Great Recoinage law of 1816, the gold content was fixed at the present 113 grains (7.32 g), equivalent to 0.2354 Troy ounces [1]. Image File history File links 3sovriegns. ... Image File history File links 3sovriegns. ... Gold coins are one of the oldest forms of money. ... Events March 14 - The Queen of Cyprus, Catherine Cornaro, sells her kingdom to Venice. ... Henry VII (January 28, 1457 - April 21, 1509), King of England, Lord of Ireland (August 22, 1485 – April 21, 1509), was the founder and first patriarch of the Tudor dynasty. ... UKP redirects here. ... A modern coat of arms is derived from the medi val practice of painting designs onto the shield and outer clothing of knights to enable them to be identified in battle, and later in tournaments. ... Statue showing a Gallic shield with a butterfly boss. ... The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor (Welsh: Tudur) is a series of five monarchs of Welsh origin who ruled England and Ireland from 1485 until 1603. ... Species About 100, see text A rose is a flowering shrub of the genus Rosa and the flower of this shrub. ... Carat is a measure of the purity of gold and platinum alloys. ... Mass is a property of a physical object that quantifies the amount of matter it contains. ... A grain is a unit of mass equal to 0. ... Troy weight is a system of units of mass customarily used for precious metals and gemstones. ... The gram or gramme, symbol g, is a unit of mass. ... Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... In the physical sciences, weight is the downward force exerted on matter as a result of gravity. ... 1816 was a leap year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Sovereigns were discontinued after 1604, being replaced by Unites, and later by Laurels, and then guineas. Production of sovereigns restarted in 1817, their reverse design being a portrayal of Saint George killing a dragon, engraved by Benedetto Pistrucci. This same design is still in use on British gold sovereigns, although different reverse designs have been used during the reigns of William IV, Victoria, George IV, and Elizabeth II. Events January 14 – Hampton Court conference with James I of England, the Anglican bishops and representatives of Puritans September 20 – Capture of Ostend by Spanish forces under Ambrosio Spinola after a three year siege. ... The Unite was the second English gold coin with a value of twenty shillings or one pound produced during the reign of King James I. It was named after the legends on the coin indicating the kings intention of uniting his two kingdoms of England and Scotland. ... The Laurel was the third English gold coin with a value of twenty shillings or one pound produced during the reign of King James I. It was named after the laurel that the king is portrayed as wearing on his head, but it is considerably poorer in both quality and... 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Saint-George is a municipality with 695 inhabitants (as of 2003) in the district of Aubonne in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. ... Chinese dragon, colour engraving on wood, Japanese Chinese school, 19th Century A dragon is a legendary creature, typically depicted as a large and powerful serpent or other reptile, with magical or spiritual qualities. ... Benedetto Pistrucci (1783-1855) was a talented engraver of gemstones, cameos, coins and medals. ... William IV (William Henry) (21 August 1765 – 20 June 1837) was King of the United Kingdom and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death. ... Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria) (24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837, and Empress of India from 1 January 1877, until her death. ... George IV (George Augustus Frederick) (12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Hanover from 29 January 1820. ... Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor), born 21 April 1926, is Queen of sixteen independent nations known as the Commonwealth Realms (and has previously been Queen of sixteen others). ...

In Victorian times it was the practice of the Bank of England to remove worn sovereigns and half sovereigns from circulation and have them recoined. Consequently, although a billion sovereigns have been minted in total, that figure includes gold that has been coined and recoined a number of times. It is estimated that in circulation, a sovereign could have a lifespan of up to 14 years before it fell below the "least current weight", that is, the minimum amount of gold below which it ceased to be legal tender. It was actually the half-sovereign that had the most circulation in Victorian England. Many sovereigns languished in bank vaults for most of their lives. It is estimated that only 1% of all gold sovereigns that have ever been minted are still in collectible condition.

Sovereigns were produced in large quantities until World War I, at which time the UK came off the gold standard. From then until 1932, sovereigns were produced only at branch mints at Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Bombay, and Pretoria (except for some in 1925 produced in London as part of Winston Churchill's ill-fated attempt to return the UK to the gold standard). The last regular issue was in 1932 (at Pretoria). Combatants Allies: • Serbia, • Russia, • France, • Romania, • Belgium, • British Empire and Dominions, • United States, • Italy, • ...and others Central Powers: • Germany, • Austria-Hungary, • Ottoman Empire, • Bulgaria Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total: 8 million Full list Military dead: 3 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total: 6 million Full... This article is on the monetary principle. ... A branch mint is a satellite operation of (usually) a national mint. ... The Melbourne Mint, in Melbourne, Australia, was a branch of the British Royal Mint. ... This is about the city of Sydney in Australia. ... Perth Mint The Perth Mint is Australias oldest operating Mint. ... Mumbai (Hindi / Marathi: मुंबई) (pronounced ), formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and the most populous city of India, with an estimated metropolitan population of about 12 million (2005). ... City motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Province Gauteng Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... The Right Honourable Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British politician, best known as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. ...

Production resumed in 1957, ostensibly to prevent the coin being counterfeited in Beirut and Italy. Subsequent publication of treasury papers appear to indicate that sovereigns were widely used in pursuance of British foreign policy in the middle east, and it was felt that the coin could not be allowed to fall into disrepute, as many individuals were receiving payments in the form of sovereigns for services rendered to the British government. Central Beirut Beirut (Arabic: , Bayrūt) is the capital, largest city, and chief seaport of Lebanon. ...

Sovereigns were produced most years as bullion until 1982. From there to 1999, proof coinage only versions were produced, but since 2000, bullion sovereigns have been minted. Modern sovereigns are minted at the Royal Mint in Pontyclun, Mid-Glamorgan, Wales. The coins are produced in the precious metal unit which is sealed off from the rest of the Mint, the Mint itself being protected by Ministry of Defence police. Employees are not allowed to use any coins within the Mint — plastic tokens replacing coin of the realm for the staff canteen! A precious metal is a rare metallic element of high, durable economic value. ... A beautiful example of a proof coin. ... The Royal Mint is the body permitted to manufacture, or mint, coins in the United Kingdom. ... Pontyclun is a village in the principal area of Rhondda Cynon Taff, south Wales. ... For an explanation of often confusing terms such as Great Britain, Britain, United Kingdom and England, see British Isles (terminology). ...

Sovereigns usually have a higher premium to the price of gold than some other coins, like the Krugerrand. This is due to a number of factors: the higher unit cost of the Sovereign (at under one-quarter of an ounce); the higher demand for the Sovereign from numismatists (compared to the Krugerrand which is not sought-after numismatically); and the higher costs of identifying and stocking a numismatic coin. For other ways to invest in gold, see gold as an investment. The face of Paul Kruger, shown on the obverse side of the coin. ... This article discusses the use of the precious metal gold as an investment. ...

Current sovereigns (2000 onwards) are struck from an alloy of 99.99% pure gold and pure copper. Each coin contains 11/12 gold and 1/12 copper. This alloy is known as Crown Gold. The only time there has been a deviation from this composition was in the production of early Australian sovereigns, which used silver as part of the alloy and in London sovereigns dated 1887, when an extra 1.25% silver was added in order to make the blanks softer for new Joseph Boehm effigy of Queen Victoria. Consequently, 1887 London Mint sovereigns are more yellow in appearance than other London produced sovereigns. This additional silver affected the amount of copper in the coin, not, of course, its gold content. (In fairness it must also be pointed out that nineteenth century techniques of refining were not as advanced as today, and nineteenth century sovereigns became more accurate in terms of their gold weight as silver — which is often naturally combined with gold — was removed as an impurity from the "pure" gold used. Such minor inconsistencies would not affect either their numismatic or bullion value). Sir Joseph Boehm (1834 - 1890) was a sculptor, best known for the head of Queen Victoria on coinage, and the statue of the Duke of Wellington at Hyde Park Corner, born in Vienna, but educated in England. ...

Care should be taken when purchasing the new bullion sovereigns (2000 onwards) featuring Ian Rank Broadley's portrayal of the Queen. It is not uncommon to see a weak striking on the obverse side which carries the Queen's effigy. One should look out for lack of detail in the depiction of the Queen's hair and ear. Such weak strikings appear to be relatively common and are still evident in sovereigns produced in 2006. It is hoped the Royal Mint will address this issue as the year proceeds.

In summary, sovereigns were produced as follows:

• London: 1817–1917, 1925, 1957 onwards
• Melbourne: 1871–1931
• Sydney: 1871–1926
• Perth: 1899–1931
• Bombay: 1918 only
• Ottawa: 1908–1919
• Pretoria: 1923–1932

For a list of sovereign mintages since 1887, see the link below. Template:Hide = Motto: Template:Unhide = Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant Established: unknown Area: 2,778. ... 1887 (MDCCCLXXXVII) is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ...

Half sovereigns, two pound double sovereigns, and five pound quintuple sovereigns coins were also produced. The half sovereign was first introduced in 1544 under Henry VIII. It was a gold coin valued at ten shillings. ... For Two Pound coins after 1983, see here. ... This article discusses the gold British Five Pounds coin issued periodically between 1826 and 1990, only. ...

External links

• Goldsovereigns.co.uk — Much information and many images
• Sovereign mintages and information from 1887 to present