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British Gold Sovereigns are the oldest gold bullion coins still in production and they are one of the most popular gold coins in the world.
Every Sovereign gold bullion coin contains .2354 troy oz. of gold, making them about the same in size as a U.S. nickel.
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(Full, Half & Quarter Sovereign) |
(Full, Half & Quarter Sovereign) |
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Obverse
The obverse side on all Gold Sovereign bullion coins display the portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, designed by Ian Rank-Broadley.
Ian Rank-Broadley's initials, "IRB," can be found directly under the Queen's neck.
This version of the Queen's portrait has been used on UK coinage since 1998.
Inscribed, inside the border of the coin, are the words and letters "ELIZABETH II," "DEI," "GRA," "REGINA," "FID," "DEF."
"DEI," "GRA," "REGINA," stand for "Dei gratia regina," is a Latin title meaning "By the Grace of God, Queen."
"FID," "DEF," translates to "fidei defensor," it also is a Latin title that translates into "Defender of the Faith" in English.
The phrases have been used regularly on British coinage since the 16th century.
Reverse
The reverse side of the British Sovereign coin depicts St. George slaying the dragon, created by Benedetto Pistrucci.
Benedetto Pistrucci's initials, "B.F.," are found below the dying dragon.
The year of issue is also found at the bottom of the coin.
Inside the outer perimeter, on both sides of each gold sovereign, you'll find a small beaded ring.
The coins edge is reeded.
In 1489, King Henry VII commissioned the production of the first Gold Sovereign coin.
The coin gets its name from the 'English Gold Sovereign,' minted in 1604, the name was revived with the Great Re-coinage of 1816, production of these new sovereigns began in 1817.
The Gold Sovereign's content is fixed at 113 grains (7.322 g), equivalent to 0.2354 troy ounces.
Sovereigns were minted in the UK from 1817 to 1917, 1925, and 1957 to the present day. In addition, the gold coins were also minted occasionally in Australia, India, Canada and South Africa.
The Royal Mint has also struck 10-shilling half sovereigns, two pound double sovereigns, and five pound quintuple sovereigns coins.
In 2009, The Royal Mint released the newest coin in the sovereign series, the Gold Quarter Sovereign.
Below, you will find the mintage figures of the full, half and quarter gold sovereigns, dating back to 1957.
First Introduced:..........................1489
Date Issued in Current Format:.....1817
IRA Approved:..............................No
Grade:.........................................Uncirculated
Face Value:..................................One Pound Sterling
Gold Content:...............................0.2354 troy oz.
Total Weight:...............................7.987 grams
Purity:.........................................0.9167
Karat:..........................................22 karat
Diameter:....................................22.05mm
Thickness:...................................1.52mm
Designers:...................................Ian Rank-Broadley (obverse - 98' to present) & Benedetto Pistrucci (reverse)
Mint Mark:....................................No
Edge:..........................................Reeded
Introduction:......1982
IRA Approved:....No
Grade:...............Uncirculated
Face Value:........£ 50
Gold Content:.....0.1177 troy oz.
Total Weight:.....3.99 grams
Purity:...............0.9167
Diameter:..........19.22mm
Thickness:.........0.99mm
Designers:.........Ian Rank-Broadley (obverse - 98' to present) & Benedetto Pistrucci (reverse)
Mint Mark:.........No
Edge:................Reeded
Introduction:......2009
IRA Approved:....No
Grade:...............Uncirculated
Face Value:........£ 25
Total Weight:.....1.99 grams
Purity:...............0.9167
Karat:................22 karat
Diameter:..........13.50mm
Designers:.........Ian Rank-Broadley (obverse - 98' to present) & Benedetto Pistrucci (reverse)
Mint Mark:.........No
Edge:................Reeded
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Notice
Year.......Sovereign........Half Sovereign.......Quarter-Sovereign
1957.......2,072,000
1958.......8,700,140
1959.......1,358,228
1960.......unknown
1961.......unknown
1962.......3,000,000
1963.......7,400,000
1964.......3,000,000
1965.......3,800,000
1966.......7,050,000
1967.......5,000,000
1968.......4,203,000
1969.......unknown
1970.......unknown
1971.......unknown
1972.......unknown
1973.......unknown
1974.......5,002,566
1976.......4,150,000
1978.......6,550,000
1979.......9,100,000
1980.......5,100,000
1981.......5,000,000
1982.......2,950,000............2,500,000
2000.......129,069...............146,822
2001.......49,462.................94,763
2002.......75,264.................61,347
2003.......43,230.................47,818
2004.......30,688.................34,924
2005.......45,542.................30,299
2006.......75,000.................75,000
2007.......75,000.................75,000
2008.......75,000.................75,000
2009.......60,292.................50,000..................50,000
2010.......243,158................16,485..................8,985
2011.......253,773................50,000..................50,000
2012.......432,925................250,000................250,000
2013.......261,581...............250,000................10,000
2014.......261,216...................9,900............... NA
2015.......113,177....................5,000................. NA
2016.......NA.......................NA....................... NA
2017.......NA.......................NA....................... NA
2018.......NA.......................NA....................... NA
2019.......NA.......................NA....................... NA
2020.......NA.......................NA....................... NA
2021.......NA.......................NA....................... NA
2022.......NA.......................NA....................... NA
*NA - Not Available
Gold Sovereign - Sources:
The Royal Mint - Bullion coins, 1968 - 2005
Cruzi's Coins
The Chard "Sovereigns" page
Wikipedia.org - Sovereigns page
Coins of Europe Catalog 1901-2013/2014
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Great Britain Gold Sovereigns page
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