Sovereign

First released in 1489 during the time of King Henry VII (1485-1509) in denomination of 1 pound sterling (20 shillings ). Named after the king on the throne (“ sovereign ”).
The nominal weight of the coin is 240 grains (15.55 g), the gold content is 15.47 g (23 carats , or 96%), the diameter is 39.5 mm.
Under Henry VIII (1509-47), the gold content decreased to 22 carats (92%).

The golden sovereign was minted until 1553 . Later, during the time of Queen Elizabeth (1558–1603), a 20-shill coin was called a pound , and the name “sovereign” was given to a large gold coin of 30 shillings ( fine sovereign ).

In 1603, Jacob I (1603-25) renewed the coinage of sovereign, but already from 1604 a 1-pound gold coin (20 shillings) began to be called a unit , and from 1619 - lorel .

Since 1663, guinea became the main gold coin of England . Only in 1816, the gold standard was established in the UK, and sovereign became the main monetary unit, equivalent to the pound.

The first new sovereign was minted in 1817 . The weight of the coin was 113 grains (7.98 g, of which 7.32 g of pure gold).

The obverse (obverse) depicted the head of the monarch, on the reverse - St. George with the dragon (the work of the Italian medalist Benedetto Pistrucci ). In the reign of George IV , William IV , Queen Victoria and Elizabeth II , other subjects were used.

In 1871, sovereign and half-sovereign coins began to be minted in Sydney , and later in other cities of the British Commonwealth .

Sovereigns were minted at the following mints:

• By the British Royal Mint In London : 1817-1917, 1925, 1937 and since 1957,
• Sydney ( Australia ; sign on coin S): 1855-1926;
• Melbourne (Australia; Sign M): 1871-1931;
• Perth (Australia; P): 1899-1931;
• Ottawa ( Canada ; C): 1908-1919;
• Bombay ( India ; I): 1918;
• Pretoria ( South Africa ; SA): 1923-1932.

From the beginning of the minting of the new sovereign in 1817, to the present day, the coin has been minted in 917 gold (22 carats , or the so-called kroner gold): 11/12 gold and 1/12 copper .

Only in the sovereign, minted for the first time in Australia and in London in 1887 , part of the proportion of copper was silver (therefore this English sovereign has a yellowish tint).

During the First World War in 1917, the minting of sovereigns for internal circulation ceased; in 1932, due to the severe financial crisis and the abolition of the gold standard, minting was sovereign for sale on international markets. The minting of the sovereign for collections was continued, in particular, the sovereign of King George VI , released in 1937, was intended only for collections; a similar sovereign of Elizabeth II ( 1953 ) is a numismatic rarity.

However, due to the great need for hard gold currency in 1957, the coinage of the sovereign resumed (and continued until 1982 ).

Currently sovereign is minted in collector's options and for investment ^{[1] [2]} .

In addition to sovereign, half-sovereign gold coins were minted (10 shillings ).

Coins of 2 pounds (double sovereign) and 5 pounds were minted in small editions and only to commemorate significant events (that is, far from every year).

Since 2009, a quarter sovereign coin has been minted. ^[3]

Traditionally, sovereigns and its derivatives (gold coins from a quarter of sovereign to 5 pounds) do not have a denomination and differ only in size and weight. An exception is the sovereign and half sovereign minted in Sydney from 1855 to 1870. They have inscriptions on the reverse of “ONE SOVEREIGN” and “HALF SOVEREIGN”.

• Coins of England and Great Britain (in English)