Gold Sovereign (British coin)
A Gold Sovereign is a gold coin first issued in 1489 for Henry VII of England and still in production as of 2009. While the coin typically had a nominal value of one pound sterling or 20 shillings, the sovereign was primarily an official piece of bullion with no mark of value anywhere on the coin itself.
The name "sovereign" comes from the large 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.
Original sovereigns were 23 carat (95.83%) gold and weighed 240 grains or one-half of a troy ounce (15.552 grams). Henry VIII reduced the purity to 22 carats (91.67%), which eventually became and remains the gold coin standard (so-called crown gold) in both the United Kingdom and the U.S.; 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 (7.322 g), equivalent to 0.2354 Troy ounces.
Sovereigns were discontinued after 1604, being replaced by Unites, and later by Laurels and broads, and then guineas. Production of sovereigns restarted in 1817. The initial reverse type for gold coins was the shield and crown motif, supplemented on the sovereign with a heraldic wreath. This was succeeded by a portrayal of Saint George killing a dragon, engraved by Benedetto Pistrucci. This same design is still in use on British gold sovereigns, although other reverse designs have also been used during the reigns of William IV, Victoria, George IV, and Elizabeth II.
Sovereigns minted since 1817 have been produced to a standard specification:Weight: 7.9881 grams
Thickness: 1.52 mm
Diameter: 22.05 mm
Fineness: 22 carat = 91.67%
Actual Gold Content: 7.3224 grams = 0.2354 troy ounce
NB: Well-worn or used coins may be marginally under manufactured weight and size.
Sovereigns were produced as follows:•
London: 1817–1917, 1925, 1957 onwards
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Melbourne: 1872–1931
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Sydney: 1855–1926
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Perth: 1899–1931
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Bombay: 1918 only
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Ottawa: 1908–1919
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Pretoria: 1923–1932
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