Show Us Your Sovereigns

1826 George IV AU55 mintage 5,724,046

 

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Really nice examples! Wreath Crown
That 1489-1989 Proof-70 shows that the mint in the UK, is one of the few that still puts quality into their product (coinage) Sadly here in Canada its the opposite.
John

 

1831 William IIII MS62, mintage of 598,547
Many sovereigns were melted down and re-minted during the reign of Queen Victoria

 

Thanks John. The Royal Mint raised their standards only in recent years, 2000 onwards. Prior to that they had VERY few PF or MS 70s. I think the Australian mints have some of the highest standards, to such an extent that PF70/MS70 has become common place.

 

Although British gold sovereigns are bullion coins now, they have been used in the past by British secret agents operating in various parts of the world.


James Bond with his sovereigns from the 1963 film "From Russia with Love"

I just had to get a 1963 sovereign:


British sovereign 1963

 

I'd have to agree with you. Australia has some very good quality. The Royal Mint is very hit and miss with quality. Any silver issue Queens Beast coin will show you that. I don't think I've seen a single one not covered in hairlines or spots.

 

Very nice selection Wreath Crown. I always enjoy your holdings, not to mention the photography. Nice hoarde Furryfrog. You can never go wrong displaying the world's chief coin. Minted in seven mints and five countries. What other coin even comes close?

 

Thanks Zonker.

Here are my best from the 5 continents, listed in alphabetical order of country of mintage and the rarest/most expensive therein:

Australia (1862 Sydney Mint MS62)






North America (Canada 1913c MS63)




Europe (Great Britain London Mint 1841 XF40 RRRRR)




Asia (India 1918i One year type MS65 Gem)





Africa (South Africa 1923SA PR64)

 

I just managed to pick up these two sovereigns which are at the top end of their respective populations at PCGS and NGC:

GB 1902 Mintage of 4,737,796 for the business strike but is rarely seen at auction. The matte proof being much more readily available. This one is an MS64+, highest at NGC with only one graded at 65 at PCGS

 

GB 1905 sovereign with a mintage of 5,9110,403 but this MS63 Wings is the highest graded at NGC with only 3 graded higher (MS64) at PCGS:

 

Nice pickup. Hard to find in those grades. Do you find its been harder to find quality sovereigns lately?

 

Thanks @Zonker. Well it might sound strange but I’ve found popular Australian sovereigns much more expensive than expected and even more surprising is that some sources which were more expensive in the past (eBay) are actually cheaper places to buy. Perhaps because of more financial uncertainty and currency depreciation.

I try to be patient and have picked up some rare sovereigns over the past year largely from UK sources.

 

I know what you mean about Australian sovereigns. I've found that prices are up (for quality) and quality offerings are down. I have really focused on GB sovereigns lately - so I can't say. I'd say South Africa sovereigns are stable and Canadian are up for the rarer issues. That just observation and I may be off.

 

Canada 1916 MS66 sold for $156,000 a week ago. That was twice the expected price and wayyyy above the last MS66 that was sold

I've concentrated on more affordable rare/scarce offerings like the 1859 Ansell, 1874, 1879 etc. Unfortunately I don't have a rich uncle or aunt from whom I might expect a windfall

 

I had a great grandfather who was paid out of the Confederate treasury at the end of the war, and a contemporary account says he still had a $5 sovereign. Unfortunately ti wasn't passed down, but I'd like to have one for the history. All I have is a souvenir tourist one I bought at the Fort Sumter gift shop just to see what it looked like.

 

Not sure what you are describing. A sovereign worth $5 at the time or a 5£ sovereign. The timing is suspious also.

 

I'm guessing you mean a 5 sovereign/£5/quintuple sovereign coin. Those are large and heavy coins, 1.1775 ounces of pure gold, 39.9 grams of 22k gold. IMHO the 1989 500th anniversary design was one of the finest to grace the sovereign:

 

That and Una and the Lion.

As far as OP's post. A 5£ would be suspious considering the timing and when they were minted. $5, based on the price of gold at the time between $21 and $30 an once is reasonable.

 

Why do you say the timing is suspicious?