Gold sovereigns (Victoria (ann. 1887-1892), Victoria (1893-1901), Edward VII (1902-1910), George V (1911-1925))

The golden sovereigns (Victoria (1887-1892), Victoria (1893-1901), Edward VII (1902-1910), George V (1911-1925)) are the most iconic British gold coins of the Royal coinage for the whole history of Great Britain. All of these coins, in contrast to modern sovereigns, were internally traded and used for international trade transactions. The English gold sovereign is considered to be the most recognized monetary unit in the world.

Types of Gold British sovereigns of the Royal coinage

Victoria (1887-1892)

1/2 sovereign denomination

• Weight: 3.9940 g.
• Metal: 917 gold.
• Mint: Sydney, Melbourne (Australia).
• Obverse: In the center of the coin there is the profile of Queen Victoria, created for the 50th anniversary of her reign. Her head is covered with a scarf and the crown. The inscription “VICTORIA DEI GRATIA” is located along the edge of the coin decorated with dotted ornament.
• Reverse: In the center of the coin there is a heraldic emblem crowned with a royal crown. The year of stamping is indicated under it, and “BRITANNIARUM REGINA FID: DEF:” is engraved in a circle along the edge of a coin decorated with a dotted ornament.
• Edge: ribbed.

1 sovereign denomination

• Weight: 3.9940 g.
• Metal: 917 gold.
• Mint: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth (Australia).
• Obverse: There is the side-face of Queen Victoria in the center of the coin, created for the 50th anniversary of her reign. Her head is covered with a lace scarf and the crown. The inscription “VICTORIA DEI GRATIA” is placed along the ribbed edge of the coin.
• Reverse: in the center of the coin the plot is depicted, when Saint George on a horse and with a sword in his hand kills a dragon. Under the image, the year of the coinage is indicated, and the edge of the coin is decorated with a jagged ornament.
• Edge: ribbed.

Victoria (1893-1901) 

1/2 sovereign denomination

• Weight: 3.9940 g.
• Metal: 917 gold.
• Mint: Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, London.
• Obverse: The side-face of Queen Victoria is depicted in the center of the coin. Her head is crowned and covered with a scarf. The inscription “VICTORIA * DEI * GRA * BRITT-REGINA-FID-DEF * IND * IMP *” is located along the jagged edge of the coin.
• Reverse: In the center of the coin the plot is depicted, when Saint George on a horse and with a sword in his hand kills a dragon. Under the image the year of coinage is indicated, and the edge of the coin is decorated with ribbed ornament.
• Edge: ribbed.

Edward VII (1902-1910)

1 sovereign denomination

• Weight: 7.9881 g.
• Metal: 917 gold.
• Mint: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Ottawa.
• Obverse: In the center of the coin, there is the profile of Edward VII. Along the jagged edge of the coin there is the inscription “EDWARDVS VII D: G: BRITT: OMN: REX F: D: IND: IMP:”.
• Reverse: In the center of the coin, the plot is depicted, when Saint George on a horse and with a sword in his hand kills a dragon. Under the image is the year of coinage is indicated, and the edge of the coin is decorated with ribbed ornament.
• Edge: ribbed.

George V (1911-1925)

1 sovereign denomination

• Weight: 7.9881 g.
• Metal: 917 gold.
• Mint: Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, London, Ottawa, Bombay, Pretoria.
• Obverse: In the center of the coin, there is the profile of Edward VII. Along the jagged edge of the coin there is the inscription “EDWARDVS VII D: G: BRITT: OMN: REX F: D: IND: IMP:”.
• Reverse: In the center of the coin, the plot is depicted, when Saint George on a horse and with a sword in his hand kills a dragon. Under the image is the year of coinage is indicated, and the edge of the coin is decorated with ribbed ornament.
• Edge: ribbed.

Circulation of gold sovereign coins of Britain

1 sovereign “Victoria” minted in 1887-1892

 

Year of Issue	Circulation (pcs.)
1887	3 053 280
1888	7 795 036
1889	13 262 045
1890	11 811 424
1891	11 675 068
1892	3 147 352

 

1 sovereign “Victoria” minted in 1893-1901

 

Year of Issue	Circulation (pcs.)
1893	10 158 660
1894	11 016 485
1895	9 209 186
1896	10 334 997
1897	7 662 565
1898	12 418 485
1899	17 049 072
1900	20 665 129
1901	11 548 596

1 sovereign “Edward VII” minted in 1902-1910

Year of Issue	Circulation (pcs.)
1902	16 072 814
1903	19 894 976
1904	17 230 471
1905	17 176 939
1906	21 720 064
1907	29 359 161
1908	21 752 691
1909	21 786 180
1910	33 243 232

1 sovereign “George V” minted in 1911-1925

Year of Issue	Circulation (pcs.)
1911	39 085 078
1912	39 404 850
1913	33 805 318
1914	20 073 703
1915	27 613 254
1916	8 182 578
1917	13 812 376
1918	5 337 370
1919	3 423 808
1920	3 399 651
1921	4 399 651
1922	3 442 493
1923	3 056 874
1924	2 103 784
1925	20 418 293

What Mint produced the coins?

Golden British sovereigns minted not only in London, but also in the Mints of the states that were colonies of Great Britain. Each Mint placed its distinctive mark on the coins, except for the Royal Mint of London:

• Australia: Perth – “P”, Sydney – “S”, Melbourne – “M”;
• Canada: Ottawa – “C”;
• India: Bombay (Mumbai) – “I”;
• South Africa: Pretoria – “SA”.

The cost of these coins on the market

Despite the fact that the value of gold sovereigns repeatedly exceeds their denomination, since they are made of gold, the price of these coins is not that great. The reason for this was the incredible popularity of this type of coins and the huge multimillion copies of their issue. That is why even a numismatist beginner will not have problems with the place of purchasing and selling gold sovereigns. On request “buy the golden sovereign” you can find a lot of auctions and exchanges where these coins are on sale. The approximate value of the gold British sovereign royal coinage

• 1 sovereign “Victoria” minted in 1887-1892. − 311.09-319.65 USD
• 1 sovereign “Victoria” minted in 1893-1901. − 296.99-300.43 USD
• 1 sovereign “Edward VII” minted in 1902-1910. − 309.12 USD
• 1 sovereign “George V” minted in 1911-1925. − 299,23-302,38 USD

Interesting Facts

• Queen Victoria, who ruled Britain from 1837 to 1901, was a representative of the Hanover dynasty. During her rule, five types of gold sovereigns were minted. Of these, there were three types that portrayed St. George on the dragon, as in the sovereigns of the reign of George IV.
• The golden sovereigns that were minted during the reign of Edward VII had rather small circulations. That is why they are rare and one of the most expensive types of gold sovereigns, which attracts the great interest of coin collectors from all over the world.
• The golden sovereign of the reign of George V was popular even before World War I, but became the last coin before Great Britain abandoned the gold standard. In addition, it is the only coin that was minted at all branches of the Royal Mint. Another interesting fact is that many elderly people living in Great Britain still remember the presence of sovereigns of 1911-1925 in their wallets.
• The reverse of all gold coins of 1 sovereign denotes a fragment of the battle of St. Benedetto Pistrucci.
• According to the research of Robert Wilkinson-Latham we can evaluate the cost of some household items in Great Britain in 1902: a chair − 9.6 sovereigns, a table − 9 sovereigns, a blanket − 10.6 sovereigns, a hunting spear − 16 sovereigns, a bottle of water − 8.6 sovereigns, steel tape measure − 7.6 sovereigns, holster for a revolver − 10.6 sovereigns.