Gold Sovereign

The golden pound of England or otherwise gold sovereign Is the most popular and commercial currency in the world, with thousands of purchases and sales taking place daily and the investment interest it presents is enormous. It is produced at the Royal Mint of Great Britain and mainly depicts the respective king of United Kingdom and Saint George on the back side.

Historical review

The first golden pound of England of the modern era, was produced 1817 by order of King George III. The Italian engraver Benedetto Pistrucci created agold coin with the king's head on the front and Saint George on his horse on the back. Since then, this engraving philosophy has been established and is still in effect today. 

The next monarchs who continued the tradition of the gold pound were: George IV (1820–1830), William IV (1831–1837), Victoria (1837–1901), Edward VII (1902–1910), George V (1911–1932), Edward VIII (1937 – few coins were minted that year), George VI (1937–1952), Elizabeth II (1952–2022) and the last, the current King of Britain, Charles III, from 2022 to the present.

Technical specifications

The weight of gold sovereign is 7.98 grams and its diameter is 22.05 millimeters. It is 1.52 millimeters thick while its purity in gold is 916,7.It is produced by Great Britain at mint of London and is released on a range of dates from 1817 to this day. The obverse depicts the head of the King or Queen looking right or left. The reverse shows Saint George on horseback slaying the dragon and the date of issue is inscribed at the bottom.

Let's look at some of the main features of the gold sovereign:

History: The gold pound of England is a coin with a long history that was used in the United Kingdom. It is one of the oldest coins to be circulated in England.

Weight of Gold: The gold sovereign contains 7.32g of pure gold. 

Decoration and Design: The gold sovereign usually had striking designs on both sides. The designs included portraits of kings, symbols, and other elements related to the history and culture of England.

Distribution: The gold sovereigns were widespread and played an important role in the fluctuations of the international economy, as a recognizable currency that had value on a global level.

The gold sovereigns are an important part of the history of the economy and monetary development of the United Kingdom.

Other editions and anniversary releases

In addition to the gold pounds issued in London, there are also those of the mints of Sydney (S), of Melbourne (M), of Perth (P), of Canada (C), of South Africa (SA) and of of India (I). Each pound is engraved with the initial of the mint where it was struck. If nothing is written, then the pound comes from the London mint. Furthermore, as mentioned above, pounds are also in circulation with earlier monarchs but with the current Charles III.

There are also subdivisions of the pound, the quarter pound and the half pound, as well as multiples, the double pound and the five pound.

From time to time, special variations of the gold pound are issued with different specifications than those above. This happens mainly for anniversary reasons or to commemorate a specific major event. Usually the reverse replaces Saint George with the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, however other rarer and more special versions have been released.

Investment value

The golden pound has a great investment value because of its price and the historical significance it carries. The gold it contains is of high purity, therefore its monetary value remains consistently high. Its rarity gold sovereign is an important factor that affects its value. As well as the overall number of pieces that have been issued in a given year (mintage). Millions of pounds have been issued and distributed around the world, with many of them considered extremely rare.