British Gold Sovereigns

The gold British Sovereign can trace its history to Henry VII (1485-1509) who issued the first 20-shilling gold coin in 1489. The minting of the British Sovereign was suspended shortly after James I ascended to the throne of England in 1603. More than 200 years later, gold Sovereigns were once again struck commencing with George III in 1817. In the 19th Century, the Master of the Mint commissioned his protégé, Royal Mint engraver Benedetto Pistrucci, to create the now classic image of St George and the dragon for the reverse of this coin. In 1890, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Goschen, declared: "Nothing, in my opinion, is more handsome than the St George and Dragon." From the time of Queen Victoria until Britain went off the gold standard, British Sovereigns were minted as circulating gold coins with the stated value of one pound.

Size: 0.2354 Troy oz Diameter: 22.1 mm Thickness: 1.52 mm Purity: 0.9167