Show Us Your Sovereigns

I'm referring to a 5£ sovereign when I mentioned timing. Most would have been melted down and they would have been from Geroge III and IV reign and were minted well before the civil war. During Queen Victoria's reign, Una and the Lion 5£ sovereign was minted in circa 1839 and then nothing again until 1887. So the timing seems strange to me.

If you were referring to a (one or full) sovereign and not the 5£ sovereign which was worth five times the one/full sovereign and that was worth approximately $5 in U.S. Money - then it is quite possible. There were a number of sovereigns that sank with the USS Central America in 1857 - so they were still being used to pay debts or for services by England.

Not doubting your statement about your great great grandfather, but was asking for clarification on what you were actuall talking about - $5 value on a full sovereign or a 5£ sovereign. Big difference.

 

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An odd request but ok, here goes.

The metal detectors on the left and center are my Sovereign Metal Detectors by Minelab. Excellent beach machines but not waterproof. The machine on the right is my Sand Shark by Tesoro, another good beach machine that can be used 200 feet deep.

I also have 8 other detectors.

 

Wrong forum

 

LOLOLOLOL

 

Yes there were: 1937 proof 1/2 sov, sovereign, 2 sov and 5 sov in sets.

 

"Fearing capture Mr. Davis divided all the money in his possession among his faithful followers, each man receiving twenty-six dollars. In the share falling to Mr. Godman was a five-dollar sovereign, which he still keeps as a relic and which is all he has to show for his long and arduous service."

This is the quote about my great grandfather from a history of the county where he lived at the time this was written, and that is the sovereign I've been talking about. So the time would have been right at the end of the Civil War. After this disbursement, Jeff Davis and a few others went on without the bodyguard and were eventually captured.

 

Thanks for the clarification John. This sounds like part of the Confedate treasury (Curse of the Civil War Gold - or something like that). This must be a one or full sovereign and not a 5£ sovereign. It would be .2354 Troy oz. in weight. The melt value during the civil war ranged from $21 to $30 an once, so a $5 values is reasonable. Based on the time, it most likely is a Queen Victoria sovereign minted during her reign. It could also be earlier, but unlikely in my opinion.

The sovereign could have a shield or St. George reverse. It most likely would have been minted in Great Britain. Most of the Australian (Sydney Mint) sovereigns, that were minted under British supervision, went to India and China. They had a unique Australian reverse until 1870. They were also more yellow than reddish in color as the Australians used silver as an alloy instead of copper as the Bristh used. the Australian sovereigns were favored over the British issues because of the silver, so the Brits clamped down and made the Australians follow their standards.

It would be really fun to see what sovereign he actually had. Hope this helps.

 

Hey, the request was not specific. It asked for Sovereigns and that’s what I gave you.

 

It does help, thank you. The coin was from the treasury. I didn't realize they would have access to different variety of sovereigns available to them. I'll look a little more into this, but thanks for the information.

 

It wasn't specific because I didn't think the Confederacy had access to other varieties for their treasury. I just thought a sovereign was a sovereign, and that the Confederate treasury would only have one kind, and that would be something you folks would know. I couldn't find anything about what their money was, and didn't know they had a choice. But your information was helpful.

 

Treasuries useally were paid debts from other countries in their currency. The treasuries would usually melt them down and re-coin them. Sometimes they just stored them. An example is all of the U.S. Double Eagles stored in other countries that are now returning to the U.S. When you refer to a sovereign, it is the one sovereign (or full) that they refer to. Other denominations such as the half, double or 5£ sovereigns most always state the demoniation.

This is the first time that I've seen a sovereign described as a $5 sovereign based upon the value of its weight in gold. That value would fluctuate.

During the early years of the United States, other country currency were commonly used. The Spanish Reales were popular. While the sovereign is the chief (most used) coin in the world during the British empire days and has been continuously minted for over 200 years and non-continuously minted for over 500 years (1489), the Spanish Reales were more commonly used after the revolution in the U.S. I believe.

Keep digging - you found a very interesting thread in history.

 

Whats next, the Sovereign sewing machine. LOL

 

Absolutely beautiful

 

You asked?

 

Love it!!!

 

The Southern Confederate States had to deal with foreign gold coins, too.

From The Statutes at Large of the Provisional Government of the Confederate States of America, from the Institution of the Government, February 8, 1861, to its Termination, February 18, 1862, Inclusive by James M. Matthews, editor:

Approved March 14, 1861:

Chap. XLII. -- An Act to regulate Foreign Coins in the Confederate States.

Sec 4. That the following foreign gold coins shall pass current as money within the Confederate States of America, and be receivable for the payment of all debts and demands at the following rates, that is to say:

The Sovereign of England, of no less a weight than five pennyweights and three grains, and of the fineness of (915½) nine hundred and fifteen and one-half thousandths, shall be deemed equal to four dollars and eighty-two cents.

The Napoleon, of the weight of not less than (4 dwts, 3½ grs.) four pennyweights three grains and one-half, and of a fineness of not less than (899) eight hundred ninety-ninth thousandths, shall be deemed equal to three dollars and eighty-two cents.

The Spanish and Mexican doubloons, of no less a weight than (17 dwts., 8½ grs.) seventeen pennyweights eight grains and one-half, and of the fineness of not less than (899) eight hundred ninety-ninth thousandths, shall be deemed equal to fifteen dollars and fifty-three cents.

 

Incredible! Thanks for the information. I wouldn't have even been interested in this aspect of history if it wasn't for my own pursuit of my ancestors and an interest in coins. This is one reason why I collect coins, because of the history behind then and the thought of the people who used them to buy there daily bread.

 

Very interesting Willie. I knew the confederates used foreign currency, but never saw a rate structure. Good post

 

" You can tell the history of a Nation through its coins. "

 

Recently acquired these two sovereigns which appear to be the highest graded for their respective years:

1902 NGC MS64+. There is an NGC 65 but I always felt they are a tad more lenient with their grading:





1905 MS63 Wings